A few weeks ago, during the Oakville Community Foundation’s Holiday Event, four volunteers were honoured with the Adrian Coote Award.
The Award is named for The Foundation’s former Board Chair, Adrian Coote, and recognizes a volunteer who has given extraordinary services to the Oakville Community Foundation. This year, a recipient was named for each of the years that were missed due to the pandemic.
These recipients have truly made our community a better place.
Peter Willis – 2019
Peter Willis served on the Board of Directors of the Oakville Community Foundation as well as on the Governance and Investment committees. He and his wife Eve created their Fund with The Foundation in 2004.
In 2009, when he was interviewed for The Foundation’s annual report, he said, “I was not expecting to be asked to join the Board and Investment Committee but I’ve enjoyed both and have met a tremendous amount of talented and dedicated people as a result.”
Peter has served and helped numerous charitable organizations in the community.
Nick Jelinek – 2020
Nick Jelinek served two terms on The Foundation’s Board, including his term as Chair. He also served on the Community Legacy Building Committee and the Governance Committee, the Marathon of Golf Committee, the Marketing Committee of The Foundation and, most recently, The Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala subcommittee.
He always brought a future-oriented perspective to the table as well as a healthy sense of humour and welcomed leadership.
Mags Shorey – 2021
Mags Shorey served on the Board of The Foundation for two terms, was the chair of the Community Legacy Building Committee and was a member of the Governance Committee. She is also one of the inaugural members of The Foundation’s Women’s Giving Collective.
She’s passionate and committed to the causes and needs in our community and always gives her all to everything she’s involved in.
In her own words, she said: “It’s great to know The Foundation is there to provide effective and efficient stewardship of endowments which is essential for a gift that keeps on giving, year after year.”
Chuck Havill – 2022
Chuck Havill was recognized and remembered posthumously, with his wife, Deborah, and his daughter, Aubin, accepting the award. He served on the Board of The Foundation for two terms and acted as Treasurer. He was the Chair of the Finance and Risk Committee and a member of the Audit Committee and he served as a professional with impeccable attention to detail.
Chuck was born and raised in Oakville and was always generous with his time and his talent, supporting many charitable organizations in Oakville. His smile and dry sense of humour were always welcome around the Boardroom table.
Despite his extensive commitments to many charities and causes in the community and his dedication to his many long-term clients, he could always be relied upon to be available for support, advice, and of course, to provide a follow-up post-meeting reflection email. He was a gentle man and a gentleman. He always did what he felt was right and good. He felt strongly about the safety and well-being of everyone and held a strong belief that those who have the means have a responsibility to support others in the community in need.
