Exchange Home Edition 2014

JANE AND NICOLE’SSHAIDEE BUSINESS

MARCUS SHANTZ:REBUILDING THEFARMERS MARKET

GRANDPA’S HAT HITS THESTAGE AT STRATFORD

INSIDE:• Shaidee characters• “You never forget hunger”• Habitat in Ethiopia• Rising from the ashes

HOME EDITION DISTRIBUTED TO HOMES IN WATERLOO REGION - Spring 2014

“A HUGE IMPACT”

LEAVING AGIFT FORTHE FUTURE

2014 Waterloo Wellington Charitable Giving Guide

Accommodate more.Consume less.The All-New 2014 Sprinter. Total Price $43,195 *.We don’t just measure efficiency in litres. We measure it in time saved. And thanks to the All-New 2014 Sprinter, you’ll get more out of both. Learn more about the Sprinter efficiencies at VictoriaStarSprinter.com.

© 2014 Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. 2014 Sprinter 2500 144" Cargo Van price shown, national MSRP $39,900 including $3,000 cash discount. *Cash purchase price of $40,195 includes total price of $43,195, $3,000 cash incentive. Taxes extra. Example based on the total price of $43,195.65 which includes MSRP of $39,900, discount of $3,000 and all applicable fees (Freight/PDI $2,695, admin fee $395 EHF tire fee $25, filters and batteries fee $25.50, air conditioning tax $100, OMVICfee $5, PPSA $75.15). Licence, insurance, registration and taxes are extra. $3,000 discount is only available for 2014 Sprinter 2500 144" Cargo Van. Dealer may sellfor less. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer for details or call the MB Customer Relations Centre at 1-800-387-0100. Offers may be withdrawn without notice.

Victoria Star Motors, 125 Centennial Rd. Kitchener, 519 579-4460, www.VictoriaStarSprinter.com

COVER STORY

A huge impact .......................12HARRY ENDRULATLeaving a gift for the future

FEATURES

Shaidee characters ...............4EXCHANGE MAGAZINETwo Kitchener women who turned agood idea into an international success

A powerful reminder ............14KELLY-SUE LABUSShe suffered from hunger as a child; nowshe’s passionate about caring for kids

BACK PAGE

Rising from the ashes .........30PAUL KNOWLESThe vendors at St. Jacobs Farmers Marketare back in business

CONTENTS

EXCHANGE MAGAZINE / WATERLOO REGION / HOME EDITION - VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2

HOME EDITION - SPRING 2014

SHAIDEE CHARACTERSPAGE 4

RISING FROM THE ASHESPAGE 30

PO Box 248,Waterloo ON N2J 4A4Tel: 519-886-0298

Cover Photography by Kim Coffin

PublisherJon Rohr

[email protected]

EditorPaul Knowles

[email protected]

Associate Liaison - Gift Giving GuideDarren Sweeney

Feature WritersPaul Knowles, jon Rohr, Dave Wright,

Janet Baine, Michael Snyders, Lisa Olsen,Harry Endrulat,Peter Braid,

Kelly-Sue Labus

ProductionJon R. Group

PhotographyJon R. Group, Brian Banks, Kim Coffin, KidsAbility

Foundation Staff

To participate in the Fall 2014 Home [email protected]

EXCHANGE magazine is a regional business publication published by Ex-change Business Communication Inc., President Jon Rohr. Distributed byCanada Post Exchange, PO Box 248,Waterloo ON N2J 4A4.Phone: (519) 886-0298 x 301 Fax: (519) 886-6409. ISSN 0824-457XCopyright, 2013. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without writ-ten permission from the publisher.

READ, RECYCLE,Give to a Friend

PHILANTHROPYPARTNERSHIPWe’re proud to present the second volume of Ex-change Magazine Home Edition. In these pages, weoffer an inspiring mix of articles, introducing you totwo womenwho have used their experience asmomsto launch an international business; to the professorwhose love for jazz launched The Jazz Room; to ayoung woman who is changing the way students in-teract with their community; and to the man incharge of rebuilding St. Jacobs Farmers Market.Wealso offer a springtime mix of information abouthouse and home, and do it yourself projects.We are also pleased to partner with Advocis, TheCanadian Association of Gift Planners, Leave aLegacy, and TheWaterloo-Wellington RoundTable, topresent our annual “Gift Giving Guide”, including in-spiring stories about local volunteers, including awoman whosememories of a hunger-plagued child-hood have prompted her to make sure no child suf-fers as she did; a local financial expert who pickedup a hammer to build homes in Ethiopia; and a cou-ple who devote time and resources to Kidsability.Wealso share valuable tips on the most effective waysto make a difference as a donor and a volunteer inour community.

DEPARTMENTSHouse & Home .......................... 7DAVE WRIGHTA practical plan for creating your

back yard paradise

Do it Yourself ............................ 10LISA OLSENSimple solution to a difficult problem

Gift Giving.................................. 11May is “Leave a Legacy Month

Gift Giving ..................................16What is personal philanthropy?

Tax Credit ....................................17PETER BRAID MPMotivated by a common, higher purpose

Monitor ........................................24Stephen Preece and Waterloo’s Jazz Room;

Habitat for Humanity in Ethiopia; Google

moves into your home; Grand River makes

heritage history;the Kelly Effect.

H O M E E D I T I O N - S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 | 3

It’s not rare to meet someone who has agreat idea. Most of us have had thoseeureka moments when a spectacular con-cept strikes us.Most of us then move on. It takes a

unique combination of character traits tomove from eureka to entrepreneur.Nicole Barrett and Jane Klugman have

that special combination of vision,patience, determination and chutzpah totransform Nicole’s unique idea into one ofthe most exciting start-up businesses inWaterloo Region.The idea? An innovation, now branded

as the Shaidee, that protects babies in car-riers from the sun, and allows parents to

Two Kitchener womenwho are turninga good idea intoan internationalsuccessstory

SHAIDEECHARACTERS

Jane Klugman, left, and Nicole Barrett

FEATURE

4 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o m


FEATURE STORYenjoy the outdoors without worrying about the damage expo-sure to direct sun can do to babies.A great idea – parents, retailers, hospitals, optometrists all

agree. But it has taken more than 10 years for Nicole and Janeto make the concept a successful reality.In fact, coming up with the idea was the easy part. But as

someone once said, nothing happens until somebody sellssomething, and Jane agrees: “Where sales really happen iswhen we hit the road, we pick up the phone, we get in frontof people. We do the hard work – that’s when sales happen.”The basic concept is one of those creations that cause

everyone else to say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Nicoletrained to be a nurse, but got involved in landscaping in col-lege, and still has her own landscaping business. So as a loverof the outdoors, when she had babies, she became awarethere was no effective way to enjoy the outdoors while pro-tecting her children from the dangers of exposure to the sun.She says, “When my youngest daughter was about five

weeks old, we were going to Florida. I was always outsidewith the kids anyway, and I needed something to protect herfrom the sun. I always carried her in the carrier, and I wantedto walk on the beach with my five year old as well. I searchedhigh and low and couldn’t find anything, so I came up withsomething myself. It was extremely primitive, made out of ablue camping foam… it was a visor that wrapped around meand it wasn’t pretty… and it worked beautifully.”That was around 2003. Nicole believed she had created a

product with potential – but she knew she would need help toroll out a successful business venture. “I knew this was some-thing cool, but I didn’t know exactly what to do with it.” Sothe first prototype went on a shelf in her closet.In 2007, Jane Klugman moved into Nicole’s neighbourhood.

Jane has 25 years of experience in the corporate world, mostrecently with Deloitte. Nicole sought Jane’s input, and sheagreed that Nicole had a good idea… and also knew she hadno time to get involved.That was the situation until Deloitte restructured, and Jane

had to decide what her next career move would be. “I hadabout 40 offers come in. I had to decide, do I do exactly thesame thing? Maybe I wanted to try something new.”She decided to start her

own consulting company,and realized that this wasthe chance to turn Nicole’screation into a corporatesuccess. She “went up thestreet and said to Nicole,‘Would you be interestedin seeing if we could make a business of this?’”They incorporated JNK Solutions Inc. in 2012; Jane is CEO,

Nicole is President and Chief Innovation Officer.Jane’s expertise in the corporate world meant they

approached business development from a thoroughly profes-

sional perspective. Says Jane, “We started doing due dili-gence.”They also realized that Nicole’s invention, although an

effective design, needed considerable development. In fact,they say, their current “Shaidee Sun Cover” is the 147th proto-type of the product; there is a patent pending on the design.

The $39.99 Shaidee SunCover is described as a“lightweight, sleek visorthat fits easily around anyperson carry a baby in mostmodels of front baby carrieror sling. It also works with

car seats and most strollers.” Nicole adds, “We call it sun-smart cool gear, but it’s more than that. It’s a protection prod-uct. You can get out and enjoy life and still product yourbaby.” The entrepreneurs have also created a second prod-uct, the “Shaidee Sun and Bug Mesh”, made from UV fabric,

Nicole Barrett and Jane Klugman have that specialcombination of vision, patience, determination and chutzpah

to transform Nicole’s unique idea into one of the mostexciting start-up businesses in Waterloo Region.

Jane and Nicole are pictured with Mike Furey from Adventure Guide, at The Boardwalk, a retaillocation where Shaidee products are available in Waterloo Region.


and offering protection from all insects. It is being launchedthis spring. Jane and Nicole are keenly aware that, no mat-ter how terrific a product is, marketing is essential. So theyhave literally hit the road, setting up a booth at the largestbaby product show, in Las Vegas, doing sales sweeps ofretailers, boutiques, hospitals, surf shops, adventure storesand the like up and down both coasts of Florida. They recog-nize that while a product like the Shaidee Sun and BugMesh have potential markets everywhere babies are born –and that’s just about everywhere – the United States, espe-cially the sun-drenched south, is key to their success. AsNicole says, “Canada is a great market, and it’s a greatlaunch market for us, but it’s not a 12-months out of theyear, full time volume wise market that we need to bein.” They are thinking big. As Jane says, “We’re about vol-ume. With 500,000 babies being born in Canada, and fourmillion being born in the US every year, it’s a no-brainer.”She also notes sun-belt Americans “just automatically go, ‘Iget it’.”The challenge right now? “Building a brand,” say the busi-

ness partners. “Because it’s not a new type of soother or adifferent type of car seat that people are already aware of,this is something that’s brand new, that has never been onthe market. We need to educate people as well as to how touse it. To let them know it exists.”There have been lessons for Nicole and Jane, every step of

the way. Jane laughs when she says, “I have sat on the otherside of the table advising entrepreneurs for 25 years. But youdon’t actually realize it all until you are living it, staying upat night, a note pad by your table constantly.”

They are still considering the most cost-efficient ways tomanufacture and deliver their products; cross-border busi-ness can add significant expenses. Marketing is a prodigiousongoing effort – and their marketing methods cover thespectrum, from cold calling on the phone to in-person pitch-

es to trade shows to social media, to sending Shaidees tocelebrities like Drew Barrymore and HRH Prince George!They have been featured on the Today Show in the U.S.,covered in the Las Vegas Sun, and the buzz is undoubtedlygrowing. The timing of marketing is also crucial – the suppli-er sales cycle is much earlier than the retail cycle; Christmassales for the supplier, for example, take place in the sum-mer.The business partners are heavily into networking. Jane

says that when they launched the business, she had anextensive list of global contacts, but that has grown ten-foldin less than two years.The women say that their home community, Waterloo

Region, is ideal for a business launch. “We have been so for-tunate to have relationships inside this community and out-side this community with people who want to help us,” saysJane. “When we went out there everyone was more thanhappy to give us an hour, two hours, follow up, introduce usto others.” Financial investment is one variety of help theyremain open to. They are seeing success in sales, both inCanada and the U.S., but have remained wary of approachlarge retail chains, knowing the capacity for production theywould need to meet such orders.But that’s the goal, and they would welcome investors to

partner in such a growth strategy. They currently seem tohave three potential plans: Plan A, to continue on their cur-rent road to success; Plan B, partnering with an angelinvestor; Plan C, partnering on a larger scale with a venturecapitalist. Says Jane, “Ideally, to make this thing really sail,there is a minimum amount we want. If we were looking forangels, we’d be looking for $500,000. It would give us a lit-tle more runway to do things. That would go directly toanother sales person, getting us out there talking to the rightpeople, inventory, marketing, we could talk to some of thebigger retail chains.” To take it to the top, right now, sheadds, a full-scale venture capital investment would be in the$2.5 million to $5 million range. The partners recognize theneed for extreme enthusiasm tempered with practicalpatience. Whichever path opens up for them, they believethey are on the road to success with their brand.It’s all about the brand, they say. “Shandee, Shaidee,

Shaidee – that’s what we’re trying to get out there.”

FEATURE

X

“We’re about volume.With 500,000 babies beingborn in Canada, and four million being born in the

US every year, it’s a no-brainer.”

The Shaidee Sun Cover – protection forbabies and freedom for parents.


HOUSE & HOME

PRACTICAL PLAN FOR CREATING YOURBACKYARD PARADISE

BY DAVE WRIGHT

Your backyard serves as a hub of summer activity. And as youspend more time outside, you may be looking for opportunities toimprove your outdoor living spaces. Whether it's a new patio, afireplace or an outdoor kitchen, homeowners have an expandingarray of options from which to choose, and readily availableexpertise from landscape professionals.

People are becoming more sophisticated in terms of how theywant their outdoor living spaces to look and feel. They want tomake their outdoor spaces an extension of their homes and createa beautiful environment. The design options for outdoor livingspaces are endless. Here are some keys to designing your ownperfect backyard paradise:

Plan around your lifestyleIn planning how to maximize the potential of your outdoor living

space, consider how you live and relax in your home. Then consid-er how that lifestyle can translate into an outdoor living spacedesign.

Start small, then expandNot all outdoor living space projects require you to dig up the

entire backyard. As a good first step, spruce up the look of yourexisting patio with a few well-chosen pieces of furniture. It'simportant that you look for high-quality furniture that will hold upoutdoors in all types of weather. Some of the most durable piecesare made of imitation wicker, a plastic product that looks and feelsreal. Also, set up an attractive seating area or table that can act as"The Spot" for people to congregate, whether to eat dinner, play agame or converse.

Simple stonework and fire pitsIf your budget doesn't allow for a professionally installed patio

or walkway at the outset, you can get resourceful and use morecost-effective materials. A fire pit is another cost-effective additionthat can create a campfire atmosphere in the backyard. However,some people do not like the smoky mess and the work it takes toget firewood and clean up the pit once the fire's out. As well, somemunicipalities do not allow wood-burning fire pits. Many people

are looking to fireplaces as an alternative. Most of the designs arenatural gas, and in most cases, people already use natural gas.

Move the kitchen outsideA popular trend right now is outdoor kitchens. The first step in

taking your cooking outside is adding a grill or upgrading to a nicermodel. You should have a good idea of what type of grill you wantand how to plan to use it.

The sky is the limit for outdoor living space accommodations,including furniture, landscaping and kitchens. People haveinstalled elaborate outdoor kitchens, complete with sinks andrefrigerators. The design often depends on where the indoorkitchen is located. For example, if the patio is just a few stepsaway from the kitchen in a home, it might not be worth the invest-ment for some homeowners to run a water line outside.

With a myriad of options available for outdoor living spaces, it'seasy for people to get caught up in what they see in a magazine orwhat their friends have. Then the financial reality sets in! But thereare practical steps to move forward. A good suggestion is to take itone year at a time, adding something to your outdoor living spaceannually to achieve your desired end result. Work with a landscapeprofessional to create a master plan design, which includes realis-tic cost estimates. If you do not have the funds to purchase andinstall everything immediately, you can complete your backyarddesign in stages. Year one, the deck, next year, the planting beds,next year introduce a fireplace, and so on.

You won't be stretched financially, and each year, you will havesomething new to enjoy in your backyard paradise.

Tel: 519-742-8433www.wrightlandscape.ca

architectural design | interior design | sustainable design

The essence of a home is created and experienced through

the surroundings within. It’s something that deeply embraces

your senses and gives your soul what it craves. Security.

Serenity. Sanctuary. Comfort. Inspiration.

These feelings greatly intensify when a home is designed with

purpose and meaning to nurture the lives of those within it. It’s

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points of restraint with moments of grandeur that evoke

your admiration. The tranquility you experience when gently

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the beauty of nature that’s perfectly framed through your living

room window and the peaceful connection it creates to the

lush gardens beyond.

A great architect will orchestrate all these elements into a

visual symphony that creates a more vivid and nourishing

environment to dwell in.

The Essence of Home

Exquisite residential design that nourishes the soul.

a 519.745.4754 | www.rsarchitects.ca


Whether at home or the cot-tage, the last thing you want todo after a long winter is spendexcessive time and moneyover the short summer monthsfixing up your property. But themountains of melting snowand the lines of crusty salt cov-ering your car, driveway andlawn could force you to do justthat. One of the lasting effects of a winter asharsh as ours is wood rot, and it can affectthe wood siding on the cottage, the posts atthe front of your home, and even the deck,door jams and window frames – anywherewood comes into contact with water.

When this happens - through snow, lakewater, marshy wetlands or even rain - thewood swells. In the process of decomposi-tion, algae and fungus form and grow, break-ing down the wood. The flaky, dewy wood isan ugly, hard-to-tackle problem, and replace-

ment is often an expensive, labour-intensiveundertaking.

That’s where Rhino Wood Repair comesin: developed and produced in Breslau,Ontario, the solvent-free, epoxy-based puttyis a wood-lover’s dream. It’s a tough, perma-nent fix. Once set, it’s three times strongerthan Douglas Fir or Pine, and completelyuseable.

It’s so strong that once set, you can evennail and screw into it.

“I really wanted to make this as easy and

as affordable as possible for theconsumer,” said Robin Pixner,developer of Rhino WoodRepair. “It’s not just a repair -it’s an easy, top-of-the-line, per-manent fix.”

The professional-grade prod-uct is simple enough to use,making it the perfect productfor the do-it-yourself home

owner, as well as the skilled contractor. Sim-ply spray the wood with Bio-Treat, an envi-ronmentally-friendly fungus and algae treat-ment solution, and fill in the cracks and cavi-ties with the Rhino Wood Repair system. Itcan then be sanded, texturized to match theoriginal wood grain, and stained or painted.

Rhino Wood Repair is available in all-in-one kits for the home, or large pails for con-tractor use. Look for it at Home Hardwareand Home Hardware Building Centres, or call519-648-1219 to order.

Contractor large format sizes

Bio-Treat™ anti-fungalspray (prevents wood rot)

The Smart Wood Repair Solution

The cost effect method for permanent wood repair instead of replacement

For Home Owners • Contractors

Spring repair season has arrived!SAVE TIME • SAVE MONEY

Home owner do-it-yourself kit

Now Available at

Manufactured by

To order call519-648-1219

www.rhinowoodrepair.com

THE SIMPLE SOLUTION TO A DIFFICULT PROBLEMBY LISA OLSEN

DO IT YOURSELF

Before After


Almost everyone has a favouritecharity. The reasons why a chari-

ty is close to your heart are as variedas the charities themselves. LEAVE ALEGACY is a public awareness cam-paign that promotes the benefits ofleaving a bequest in your Will to helpyour favourite charitable organiza-tion.

The LEAVE A LEGACY programprovides information on how you cansupport charities through estate plan-ning. This program is a partnershipbetween registered charities, profes-sional advisors, the media and thepublic. Leave a Legacy has beenadopted as the national program ofthe Canadian Association of Gift Plan-ners.The aim of LEAVE A LEGACY is

two-fold:Ensure every adult in Canada has

an up-to-date Will; and encourageindividuals to leave a gift for theirfavourite registered charity in theirWill.The vision of LEAVE A LEGACY is

to ensure everyone is aware of thepersonal and financial benefits ofleaving a gift for their charities ofchoice in their Will. Preparing anestate plan that includes a charitablegift provides tremendous personalsatisfaction and significant tax bene-fits for donors.Everyone benefits from LEAVE A

LEGACY – the individual, the familyand the community. Whatever yourreasons, your gift makes a difference!

MAY IS “LEAVEA LEGACYMONTH”

GIFT GIVING


For twenty-three years, Lynda Moseley-Williams hasbeen a steadfast volunteer at KidsAbility, an organiza-

tion that annually provides treatment services to over 5,000children and youths with special needs. Together with herhusband, John, the family has made numerous donationsand purchased equipment for the various classrooms with-in the Waterloo facility. When it came time to create theirwill, the couple wanted to ensure a brighter future for localchildren. That’s when they decided to leave a legacy gift toKidsAbility.As Lynda notes, “Having worked at KidsAbility for many

years, I was inspired by the dedication of everyone hereand the immeasurable impact they have on those whocome in for treatment. I knew there was a long waiting listfor the kids in our community and I wanted to make a dif-ference. After discussing matters with John, we decided alegacy gift was a great way to support the needs of the chil-dren – for generations to come.”This form of planned gift was the perfect option for the

couple. It allowed them to give to a charitable organizationthat meant a great deal to both of them while still providingfor their close family members. “When we started thinkingabout a legacy gift, we talked it over with our children,”

explains John. “KidsAbility was a recognized leader in thecommunity and the kids were in favour right from the start.Two of them volunteered here in the past and they knewhow impactful a gift of this nature could be.”The Moseley-Williams family also understood the impor-

tance of donations for families needing help. In fact, theirgrandson received speech therapy through KidsAbility.“When you witness the work KidsAbility does firsthand, itreally touches you,” says Lynda. “Some children come inbarely able to communicate. They don’t even make eyecontact. With help and encouragement, they’re suddenlysmiling and talking to you. They truly rise to their maxi-mum potential – something that wouldn’t happen if theyweren’t offered the chance at KidsAbility.”

Both Lynda and John were also struck by the loyalty ofeveryone involved with the agency. “You often see formerclients or members of their families as volunteers and sup-porters later in life,” says Lynda. “That is such a strongendorsement of KidsAbility,” adds John. “People just can’tresist giving back to an institution that had such a hugeimpact on their lives.”With facilities in Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge,

Guelph, and Fergus, KidsAbility ensures that youths have

AHUGE IMPACT ON LIVESLEAVING A GIFT FOR THE FUTURE

Lynda and John Moseley-Williams, inspired by the loyalty of everyone involved with KidsAbility

FEATURE

BY HARRY ENDRULAT

PhotobyKim

Coffin


access to help throughout Waterloo Region and WellingtonCounty. However, the organization could not provide theirservices to so many children without donations to supple-ment their annual budget.“The financial support we receive from legacy gifts and

other forms of donations is paramount to the success ofKidsAbility,” states Linda Kenny, ChiefExecutive Officer of KidsAbility. “With-out it, we wouldn’t be able to help asmany children with special needs aswe do.” But even with the donationsKidsAbility receives, the demand forfinancial assistance is even greater.Presently, there are over 1,000 childrenon a waiting list.To try and reduce wait times,

KidsAbility started a new initiativecalled SPARK. The goal of this pro-gram is to deliver rapid intervention tochildren with mild delays and supplythem (and their families) with services,education, strategies and specific referrals. While this is anexciting development, there are still too many other chil-dren awaiting treatment.Lynda and John are well aware of the financial con-

straints at KidsAbility and other charitable organizations.As owners of five successful McDonald’s restaurants in thearea, they have always been actively involved in the com-munity, helping out whenever possible. Through McHappy

Day, they’ve supported Ronald McDonald House, KidsAbili-ty, and various other local organizations. But they wantedto take it one step further.“When it comes to estate planning, people really need to

understand the benefits of a legacy gift,” acknowledgesJohn. “If your family and retirement are taken care of, you

should look for ways to give back tothe community while making a differ-ence in the lives of children.”At KidsAbility, there are many ways

to give. Individuals can make a giftthrough their will, donate a new orpaid-up life insurance policy, desig-nate the organization as a direct ben-eficiary of a RRSP or RRIF fund,bestow charitable remainder trusts oreven assign publicly traded securitiesto KidsAbility Foundation. “We alwayssuggest that donors talk to their finan-cial planners,” adds Lisa Talbot, Exec-utive Director of KidsAbility Founda-

tion. “There are numerous benefits to donating, includingcertain tax advantages.”Of course, the benefits of legacy giving aren’t just finan-

cial. Donors ensure that the charity lives on and that chil-dren with special needs have a more promising future. ForLynda and John Moseley-Williams, who have contributed toKidsAbility in the past and have planned their own LegacyGift, that’s all that really matters.

“Individuals can make a giftthrough their will, donate a new or

paid-up life insurance policy,designate the organization as adirect beneficiary of a RRSP orRRIF fund, bestow charitable

remainder trusts or even assignpublicly traded securities.”

Lynda regularly volunteers at KidsAbility.

X

FEATUREPhotoby

KidsAbility


Claudette Amyot is making sure that children do not go hungry.

A PowerfulReminder

When we imagine our community in the next 20 to 30years, we see a vibrant and successful society with

innovation and technology leading the way. Who is going tobe guiding this exciting time in our lives, building our cities,creating change and managing the future? The leaders ofthe future are the children and youth of today!However, many of the children in our community won’t

have the opportunity to be part of this exciting time,because their present situation is dire, and their develop-ment is limited. Each day in our community, one in ten chil-dren arrives at school without having eaten breakfast, andwithout the necessary food to sustain them for an entireschool day.The following is a true account of Claudette Amyot, who

as a young girl, like so many children in our community,needed someone to care. You never forget hunger, especial-ly as a child. Here is her story, about a young child growingup hungry and then, as an adult, her commitment to ensur-ing not one child should go hungry in Waterloo Region:"Growing up in my community, my family experienced

financial hardship. Most of my childhood, I lived without thenecessities of life. I mean basic necessities like food andclothing. I didn’t understand what made my family differentfrom the other kids’ families. I just knew I was always hun-gry, and they weren’t."School, for me, provided an escape from the hardship,

but it was also a constant reminder of what I didn’t have.When all of the kids were pulling out their bags of food atlunch time, I would pretend to be busy at my desk. I didn’thave breakfast most days. And I rarely had a lunch to taketo school. I would watch as the kids took out their sand-wiches and fruit and I would ask myself, 'What’s wrongwith me? Why don’t I have something to eat?' I would waitfor the bell when I could run outside to play and forget thesmell of their lunches. Those smells made my tummy hurt.They made me hurt."There was no food program, I, as a child, could rely on,

so my body didn’t have the opportunity to grow properly.My bones, muscles and tissue didn’t develop the way theyshould. I didn’t excel at school because my brain didn’t have

FEATURE

I helped Autism Dog Services bring Kendra and herservice dog together. I assist families and corporationssupport worthy causes through prudent and efficientestate and succession planning. I help families multiplytheir contributions to make this world a better place.

Jesse MacDonald, BA M.EdLife and Health Insurance Advisor Kendra and Jasper

675 Queen St. South Suite 230Kitchener, ON N2M 1A1TEL: 519-732-8980email: [email protected]

BY KELLY-SUE LABUS


It doesn’t have to be complicated.

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Leave a gift in your will to the University of Waterloo, and you can be part of the equation.

Our gift planning experts can help you create a legacy that will benefit future generations of students. To find out more, please contact Sharon McKay-Todd at 519-888-4567, ext. 35413 or [email protected]

uwaterloo.ca/support/planned-giving

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the chance to develop and my confi-dence was low. The only thing that Iknew was that I just wanted to be likeall of the other kids.”Being hungry will colour

Claudette’s world for as long as shelives. Hunger, early on in her life,affected her emotionally, and causedher many significant health issues. Ifshe had received the proper nutrition

when she was developing, at a cost ofa few dollars a day then, she wouldnot require thousands of dollars ofhealthcare, monthly, today.Claudette’s story is a powerful

reminder that an ounce of preventionis worth a pound of cure. Feedingchildren a nutritious meal every dayhelps children be healthy, loweringthe costs of healthcare.And there’s much more. Feeding a

child breakfast every day will increasetheir ability to learn. Children who eatbreakfast increase their academicachievement by up to 15%. They areless likely to miss school. They areless likely to contract type-2 diabetesor to be obese. They socialize betterwith other children and adults andfind it easier to concentrate.Today, Claudette is a volunteer with

Nutrition for Learning. Making surethat children don’t go hungry is herpassion. She couldn’t stand knowingthat there is even one children in hercommunity who had to endure whatshe did. Nutrition for Learning pro-vides breakfast for children aged 5through 18 years, within WaterlooRegion, to over 13,000 children andyouth each day. Supporters of Nutri-tion for Learning are providing thevery basic of human needs to the chil-dren-in-need in our community –nourishment.

Children whoeat breakfast increase their

academic achievementby up to 15 %

FEATURE

X

PhotobyBrian

Banlks


GIFT GIVING

To learn more, visit www.conestogac.on.ca/givingor contact:

Tim Tribe, Chief Development O!cer 519-748-5220 ext. [email protected]

be the cause of something great.Make a decision today to

Be the cause of something great by including Conestoga in your will today. You can direct your gift to any school, any program, any award. You can make education more a"ordable for students in need or, support research that improves people’s health and changes lives.

Your gift will help prepare our next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers and inspire answers to tomorrow’s challenges.

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The objective of creating a personal charitable programis to provide a thoughtful, well-planned, tax-preferred

gifts plan, that not only is financially smart but alsoimpacts on life needs you’re passionate about.

Make Lives Better:Each day, people are helped and lives are enriched by

the work of registered charities and foundations, and othernot-for-profit organizations in our communities. Meals forisolated seniors, summer jobs for disadvantaged highschool students, or funding for mental health are just someof the ways not-for-profit organizations improve all of ourlives.

Help Where Needed:Important charitable and not-for-profit organizations

rely on our help; financial assistance is essential to supportand sustain charitable work. Many people generouslyshare their money, time and energy with local not-for-prof-it organizations. By leaving a gift in their will or estate planto the charitable groups of their choice, they can continue

to help people in need or promote a favourite cause.

Be Remembered for Your Passion:Your gift is your opportunity to participate in the charita-

ble work that is most meaningful to you, in a way thatallows these important causes to be well supported bothnow, and long after you have gone. Personal philanthropycan be an impactful way to ensure that your memory liveson.

Nuturing the Future:Personal philanthropy can ensure the sustainability of a

not-for-profit organization or charity of your choice. In life,many of us require some kind of assistance, whether it’sphysical, financial or spiritual. Perhaps a local organizationor charity has a special place in your heart. It may be thatyou were given a scholarship that made the dream of col-lege possible. It is during life’s many trials when we arereminded that more could be done to continue personalphilanthropy which supports humane acts of kindness andhelp uphold programs for personal enrichment.

WHAT IS PERSONAL PHILANTHROPY?

X


Ihave seen first-hand the positive impact thatcharitable organizations have on the individ-uals and the communities that they serve. Ihave also seen and have been inspired by thegenerosity of donors, and the dedication ofstaff and volunteers. They all share and aremotivated by a common higher purpose: tomake a difference in the lives of others. It isvital that we celebrate and support this excel-lent work.As a Member of Parliament, I have been

actively advocating for charities, raising aware-ness of the essential work they do, and servingas their voice in Ottawa.My efforts triggered a Parliamentary Finance

Committee study on the charitable tax system,with a focus on examining ways to motivateincreased giving. The committee proposed sev-eral recommendations to create positivechange in the sector, and this led to the intro-duction of the First-Time Donor’s Super Creditin 2013.This innovative new measure increases the

value of the Charitable Donations Tax Credit by25% on eligible cash donations of up to $1,000in any one taxation year, if neither the taxpayernor their spouse has claimed the credit since2007.The FDSC will encourage many individuals,

including young people and new Canadians, to

make their first charitable donation. This willrejuvenate and expand the donor base, andinstil a culture of giving among a new genera-tion of donors. It will also contribute to makingcharitable giving an important consideration infinancial planning and tax preparation deci-sions. It’s another tool in the toolbox, andbrings a fresh approach to motivating charita-ble giving.Previous government measures to strength-

en the charitable sector include a capital gainstax exemption for gifts of publicly listed securi-ties, ecologically sensitive land and certifiedcultural property; increasing accountability andtransparency; and reforming the disbursementquota to reduce red tape.Most recently, we proposed changes to

increase flexibility so that a trustee of an indi-vidual’s estate can apply charitable donationcredits against the income tax liabilities of theindividual or the estate. And we’re amendinglegislation to allow charities to conductfundraising lotteries online, reducing adminis-trative costs and modernizing the process. Wecontinue to look for innovative ways to ensurethat the charitable sector can be effective andsustainable.Donors, volunteers, organizations and gov-

ernment – we’re all working together to build astrong, compassionate, and inclusive society.

MOTIVATED BY A COMMON, HIGHER PURPOSE:TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS

By Peter Braid MP,Kitchener-Waterloo

TAX CREDIT

X

My friendship with the Stratford Festival is, I have realized,one of my oldest. As I write that line, I realize that I hadnever thought of it that way before, but it is true.

Like so many in southern Ontario, my first introduction toStratford was through highschool. For an awkward kidfrom a rural high school deepin the heart of Bruce County,the annual bus trip to Strat-ford to see the Shakespeareanplay that we were studying inEnglish performed on stage by REAL actors was a dip into aglorious, glamorous otherworld of drama, fantasy, lights anddazzle.

I would like to say that it was the soaring rhetoric or thedeep emotions on stage that grabbed me, but I have to admitwhat I remember was a funny little off-the-cuff aside by theactor playing Hamlet that pulled me, and the rest of us, intothe story, laughing uproariously. Laughing with, not at,Hamlet! In that moment, I was hooked for life.

Stratford opened up a world to me that I had not realizedexisted. Only later did it dawn on me how tough an audienceteenagers are, confirmed skeptics that they can be. But oncethey are sucked into the vortex of a powerful story, orthrough the medium of laughter – either planned or, even

better, spontaneous – they are transformed into diehardfans.

As I calculate it, I have been attending shows at Stratfordfor almost 40 years. Although I’ve lost track of all that I’ve

seen, some have been searedinto my brain – scenes andperformances that will foreverhaunt, entrance, enthral:Elizabeth Rex with Brent Carv-er; Colm Fore’s Cyrano; SeanaMcKenna in Shakespeare’s

Will; The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redheadstarring Lucy Peacock; The Imaginary Invalid with WilliamHutt, who had me weeping with laughter; and Hay Fever inwhich Dame Maggie Smith brought the house down by arch-ing her eyebrow – who knew you could even see that on astage?!?! – to name a few.

Big names are fun, and at Stratford there are plenty. Butit’s essentially the company that keeps drawing me back.There are the familiar faces who are the backbone of thecompany, and then there are the new faces, new voices,stretching their talents in a way that I imagine can onlyhappen by working intensely on a variety of plays in one sea-son beside such a talented set of veterans.

Watching this young and raw talent start out as guards or

Lynne Taylor with her grandfather’s top hat, one of three hats she donated to the Stratford Festival. To her delight, she later saw it on stage.

I am investing in Canada’s future and ensuring mygranddaughter will also have the privilege of enjoy-

ing world-class theatre, right on our doorstep.

IT ISALLABOUTTHEHATS


The giant canvas tent that housed the Festival’s first four seasons, from 1953 to 1956.

maids, move into larger roles, and eventually to centre stageis tremendously satisfying and fascinating. It is like watchinga kid brother or sister grow into their own skin and becomeall that you could want them to be. How can you notcelebrate?

Stratford has been a bit of a family tradition as well –which will lead to the hats.

Stratford has lurked in my family’s background for threegenerations now. When the tent first went up, my grandpar-ents travelled with my mother from Toronto to see a show,which was then not nearly so easy or obvious a trip as today,and later my mother would drive up from London to take in aplay with her friends. So, when I was sorting out my base-ment, I stumbled across three hats: my grandfather’s top hatand homburg, and my grandmother’s favourite, an elegantblack fan of a hat. It only made sense to see if the Festivalcould use them. They politely accepted the donation.

Then we went to see Wanderlust – a play about Robert

Service. And there was the tophat, in full glory! My grandpar-ents would have been ecstat-ic, and I was beside myselfwith excitement – silly as thatmay sound. It symbolized forme a symbiotic relationship inthe purest sense, with thehats one more part of thesharing in both directions, ofmy relationship with Stratford.

Maybe that is why I supportthe Festival. For the price of arelatively small donation annu-ally, as well as a bequest frommy estate, I am investing in Canada’s future and ensuring mygranddaughter will also have the privilege of enjoyingworld-class theatre, right on our doorstep. I’ve had the privi-lege of spending considerable time in cities whose theatredistricts are the envy of the world. None is better than whatwe have in our own backyard.

And who knows, perhaps my granddaughter will get to seeher great-grandfather’s top hat on stage! And so, in the storyof the hats, is a hint at the legacy that is Stratford.

KATHRYN MCKIEPLANNED GIVING MANAGER

55 Queen Street, PO Box 520Stratford, ON N5A 6V2

Tel: 519.271.4040 x [email protected]

www.stratfordfestival.ca\legacy

A sketch of Lynne Taylor’s grandfather, whofirst visited Stratford in the days of the tent.

Lynne Taylor is an associate professor of history at theUniversity of Waterloo.


LIVE GENEROUSLY:HOW FAITH INFLUENCESCHARITABLE GIVING

One of the most important groups within thecharitable sector is people who give from a faithperspective. Personal faith is a powerful motivatorfor many philanthropists. Christians who give from afaith perspective tend to believe that living gener-ously is both consistent with Old and New Testa-ment teaching and central to living a fulfilled life.People of other faiths see similar consistenciesbetween belief and action, between faith and findingways to live with the welfare of others in mind. Allcovet the joy and satisfaction that come from shar-ing and giving.

According to a survey by Statistics Canada (Chari-table Giving by Canadians, Martin Turcotte, April,2012), people who attend church services regularlycontribute three times more to charity - both reli-gious and non-religious charities - than those whodo not consistently attend. Many make charitable giv-ing their highest priority and adopt a “share, save andspend” model that allows them to achieve their owndesired level of generosity. Whether generosity isrooted in the biblical story of compassion or as ameans to experience life more fully with a higherpower, Canadian charities benefit greatly from thelessons of living generously as taught by many faithgroups.

Throughout our 40-year history, Mennonite Foun-dation of Canada has always been a donor-advisedfoundation, meaning the donor provides the guidancefor how, when and where the charitable gift is distrib-uted. We have chosen to work with all people whohave embraced the idea “It is more blessed to givethan to receive” and who have discovered that con-necting faith and finances can make sharing one’sassets joyful and easy.

The variety of ways they choose to live their faith is

inspiring. They come to us wanting to do somethinggood and generous. We have the honour of helpingthem explore a variety of options which may movethem towards their faithful philanthropic goals.

With the stock markets hitting record highs, “Joe”realized that he had significant capital gains in hisinvestment portfolio and decided to share thesegains with some of his favourite charities. He dis-cussed his situation with a friend who recommendedthe services of Mennonite Foundation of Canada.After completing the donation of securities and hav-ing MFC distribute the proceeds from the sale to thedesignated charities, Joe was ecstatic. “Working withMFC was so easy and they were so flexible andaccommodating that we will use them for all ourstock donations.”

An older couple sold their farm and downsized.Both “Harold and Helen” were retired teachers whowanted to “do something with [their] money now andnot wait until we pass away.” An MFC consultant

Sherri Grosz and a clientexplore ways to give generouslythrough an estate plan.


20-50 KENT AVENUEKITCHENERONTARIOTel: (519) 745-7821Fax: (519) 745-8940Toll Free: 1-888-212-7759

email: [email protected]

Executive Director Darren Pries-Klassen explains the benefits of a charitable gifting account.

helped them set up a plan to donate money to theirfavourite educational institution every year for 12years. This gave the couple maximum tax benefitswhile providing the college with a regular incomeflow for years to come. And the retired couple hasthe satisfaction of seeing their donations at work.Helen reflected, “I grew up with nothing. To me,everything I have is a bonus and I’m thankful. Thepurpose is to use the gifts we’ve been given and todo that wisely. MFC helps us do that.”

Everyday MFC brings together technical skills withtheological teaching and training to provide a gift-planning process that not only meets the needs ofdonors but is in keeping with Christian faith values.Our clients are generous because they believe thatis what it means to live a Christ-like life. In addition,they want to work with people they can trust andwho understand their commitment to their faith.

Our consultants are trained, experienced profes-sionals who see generosity as an expression of grati-tude. We know that each individual has a unique sit-uation requiring a unique solution. It’s a uniqueapproach and our professional staff, located acrossCanada, offers confidential services to help you useyour money to speak to your faith.

For more information on Mennonite Foundation ofCanada and our distinctive faith-based approach togift planning, visit MennoFoundation.ca or contactour office in Kitchener.

Mike Strathdee talks with studentsabout faith and finances.



WATERLOO WELLINGTON CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS ROUND TABLE 2014 DIRECTORY

CAMBRIDGE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATIONJennifer White Executive Director 700 Coronation Boulevard,

Cambridge, Ontario, N1R 3G2, [email protected],519-621-2333 ext 244

www.cmh.org

COMMUNITY OF CHRISTKen McGowan, Estate and Financial Planning Minister 390 Speedvale

Ave E, Guelph, ON, N1E 1N5, [email protected],519-265-5349, www.cofchrist.org

CONESTOGA COLLEGE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYTim Tribe, Director of Development, 299 Doon Valley Drive,

Kitchener, ON, N2G [email protected],

519-748-5220 x2409, www.conestogac.on.ca

FOUNDATION OF GUELPH GENERAL HOSPITALJennifer Hall,115 Delhi St.,Guelph, ON, N1E 4J4

[email protected], 519-837-6422www.gghfoundation.ca

GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL FOUNDATIONJane Jamieson,Associate Director, 835 King Street West,

Kitchener, ON, N2G 1G3,[email protected],519-749-4205, www.grhf.org

INTERNATIONAL TEAMSJanelle Weber,Donor Services Coordinator,

1 Union St, Elmira, ON, N3B [email protected], 519-669-8844

www.iteams.ca

KITCHENER-WATERLOO ART GALLERYCaroline Oliver, Director, Development & Marketing,

101 Queen Street N, Kitchener, ON, N2H 6P8,[email protected],

519-579-5860 x218, www.kwag.ca

KITCHENER-WATERLOO HUMANE SOCIETYMarjorie Brown,Development Director

250 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, ON, N2B 2E9,[email protected]

519-745-5615 x229, www.kwhumane.com

CAMBRIDGE & NORTH DUMFRIESCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION:The Community Foundation is availableto anyone who would like to givesomething back to the community, andat the same time, create a legacy tosupport the causes they care about.Donations are pooled into an ever-

growing, permanent endowment and only the earnings generatedthrough its investments are distributed as grants according to thedonor's direction. Donors can be confident that a gift to theCommunity Foundation is a gift that will give forever.

Lisa Short, Executive Director, [email protected] Thompson Drive, Unit 7, Cambridge, ON N1T 2E4 519.624.8972

www.cambridgefoundation.org

HOUSE OF FRIENDSHIPof Kitchener:Since 1939, House ofFriendship has beenserving people living onlow-income: with our

community, we are there when needed, speak up, and work together.We envision a community where all can belong and thrive. Today, webring shelter and supportive housing to those who are homeless,emergency food assistance to those who are hungry, opportunities tofamilies living in low income neighbourhoods, and healthier lives formen and women who are experiencing addiction. With your legacygift we can continue to extend the hand of friendship to ourneighbours in need. To inquire about The Friendship Fund or todiscuss your legacy, please contact:Christine Rier, [email protected] 519-742-8327 x122

51 Charles Street East, PO Box 1837, Station C,Kitchener, ON, N2G 4R3

www.houseoffriendship.org

INDEPENDENT LIVINGCENTRE OF WATERLOOREGION:For over 30 years, theIndependent Living Centreof Waterloo Region has

provided programs and services to help people living with disabilitiesachieve independence. ILCWR provides consumer directed services toover 500 people in the Waterloo Region community every year. All ofour programs aim to remove barriers and make Waterloo Region anaccessible place for all. You can give the gift of independence byincluding ILCWR in your will, and helping Waterloo Region to become aleader in accessibility and independence for people with disabilities. Formore information contact:

Mallory Boyer, [email protected] Victoria St. South, Suite 201, Kitchener, ON, N2G 2B4

519-571-6788 X 7425, www.ilcwr.org

KIDSABILITY FOUNDATION:Established in 1957, KidsAbility isnow the recognized leader inWaterloo Region and Guelph-Wellington for empowering childrenand youth with a wide range ofcomplex special needs. Our

passionate and dedicated team provides life-changing therapy andsupport services to 5,000 local children and youth. KidsAbilityFoundation is dedicated to raising both financial support andaffirmative public awareness in assisting KidsAbility Centre for ChildDevelopment fulfill its mission.

Lisa Talbot, Executive Director, [email protected] x1201Charmaine Brown, Development Officer, [email protected] x1350

500 Hallmark Drive, Waterloo, ON, N2K 3P5519-886-8886, www.kidsability.ca

COMMUNITY SUPPORTCONNECTIONS - MEALS ONWHEELS AND MORE:We believe everyone should be ableto live in their own home. We workwith hundreds of volunteers to servethousands of local seniors and

adults with disabilities by delivering meals, providing rides to medicalappointments and much more. CSC functions as a centralized sourcefor community home support services in Waterloo Region. We supporteach and every one of our clients and volunteers, fostering acommunity where everyone feels at home – valued, connected andempowered.

Dale Howatt, Executive Director, 61 Woolwich Street North, BreslauON, N0B 1M0, 519-772-8787

www.communitysupportconnections.org


MENNONITE FOUNDATION OF CANADASherri Grosz,Consultant,[email protected]

Milly Siderius,Director of Stewardship Services,[email protected]

Mike Strathdee,StewardshipConsultant,[email protected]

50 Kent Ave, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3R1519-745-7821

www.mennofoundation.ca

MS SOCIETY WATERLOO DISTRICT CHAPTERCraig Stevenson, 35 Belmont Ave W, Kitchener, ON

N2M 1L2, [email protected],519-569-8889

www.mssociety.ca/waterloo

ONTARIO FARMLAND TRUSTBruce Mackenzie,Executive Director,c/o Alexander Hall, Room 301

University of Guelph, Guelph,ON, N1G [email protected],

519-824-4120 x52686www.ontariofarmlandtrust.ca

OWEN SOUND REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATIONWillard VanderPloeg, Development Officer, Box 1001, 1800 8th Street

E, Owen Sound, ON, N4K [email protected],

519-372-3925 www.oshfoundation.ca

PERIMETER INSTITUTE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICSMercedes Geimer, 31 Caroline St. N, Waterloo, ON, N2L 2Y5

[email protected],519-569-7600 x5541

www.perimeterinstitute.ca

PROJECT PLOUGHSHARESMatthew Pupic,Director, Finance and Development

57 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON N2L [email protected],

519-888-6541 x705www.ploughshares.ca

ROCKWAY MENNONITE COLLEGIATEBernie Burnett, Development Director

110 Doon Road, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3C5, [email protected],519-743-8209, www.rockway.ca

STRATFORD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALKathryn McKie, Planned Giving Manager

55 Queen Street, P.O. Box 520, Stratford, ON N5A [email protected], 519-271-0055 x5640

www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com/legacy

THE KITCHENER & WATERLOO COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONRosemary Smith, Chief Executive Officer,

29 King Street East, Suite B, Waterloo, ON, N2L 1T2, [email protected],519-725-1806 x 1, www.kwcf.ca

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOOSharon McKay-Todd, Associate Director, Planned Giving,

[email protected],Bonnie Oberle, Associate Director, Annual Giving, [email protected], x35422

Joanne Stewart,Development Officer, Planned Giving,[email protected], x37040

Meghan,Whitfield,Associate Director, Annual Giving,[email protected], x33852

200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1519-746-4567, www.uwaterloo.ca

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITYCecile Joyal, Development Officer, Individual & Planned Giving,

75 University Ave. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5,[email protected]

519-884-0710 x3864, www.wlu.ca

YWCA KITCHENER-WATERLOOSheryl Loeffler, Director of Philanthropy

153 Frederick St., kitchener, ON, N2H 2M2,[email protected],

519-576-8856 x106, www.ywcakw.on.ca

LUTHERWOOD CHILD ANDFAMILY FOUNDATION:Lutherwood envisions acommunity where all children,youth, adults and families

experience mental wellness, financial stability and a safe place to live.We infuse hope through the provision of a broad range ofindividualized services to those in need in our community.

Donna Buchan, [email protected], 519-884-1470 ext 1144Lutherwood Child and Family Foundation

285 Benjamin Road Waterloo, ON, N2J 3Z4

NUTRITION FOR LEARNING:Hunger is a difficult thing to forget,especially for a child. Nutrition forLearning supports 143 programscommitted to meeting the needs of13,000 hungry children, every day,in our community. All children

deserve to be healthy, to learn and to believe in their future. Help usmeet the needs of hungry children in our community!

495 Waydom Drive Unit 2, Ayr, ON, N0B 1E0519-624-5744

www.nutritionforlearning.ca

RENISON UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE:Consider a planned gift toRenison University College, a

liberal arts College at the University of Waterloo. Your legacy gift is agift for the future, made in the present, and acknowledges yourgenerosity in giving a gift that will sustain generations to come.Planned gifts provide the resources to create extraordinaryopportunities and ensure that Renison will continue to offer qualityeducation in a small nurturing community. For more information, [email protected]

Caroline Tanswell, [email protected] Westmount Road North, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G4

www.uwaterloo.ca/renison

ST. MARY’S GENERAL HOSPITALFOUNDATION:Founded in 1924, St. Mary’s GeneralHospital remains an island ofhealing and hope to the people ofWaterloo Region and surroundingareas. Known for our commitment

to excellent, innovative, and patient-centred care, we are one of thecountry’s finest hospitals and we take seriously the trust ourcommunity puts in us. In return, we are honoured to have the financialsupport of the people we serve so that we can continue our work.

911 Queen’s Blvd., Kitchener, ON, N2M 1B2, 519-749-6797St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation

www.supportstmarys.ca


Stephen Preece is a talented amateur jazz pianist who admits,“I love to play”.But he’s never played at the Jazz Room, Waterloo Region’s jazz hub at theHuether Hotel.Which might seem odd, since he is the visionary who conceivedof the idea of the Jazz Room in the first place, and then brought his not incon-siderable skillset to make the project a success.He laughs at the idea of performing there.That’s not why he did this, he insists,and he has decided that he will never take advantage of his insider position tocreate the opportunity to play the grand piano that dominates the stage.Besides, it was not his artistic skill that was important in bringing the JazzRoom project to fruition – it was his passionate love for jazz, combined with hisunique perspective as a long-time professor at the Laurier School of Businessand Economics, at Wilfrid Laurier University.Preece – more formally, Dr. Stephen Preece,Associate Professor, holder of fouracademic degrees including a PhD from Ohio State University – has taughtStrategic Management and International Strategy at Laurier since 1993. Onekeen area of interest has always been cultural industries, in particular the man-agement of performing arts organizations.In 2011, he decided to put his efforts where his rhetoric is. He took advantageof a sabbatical year to spearhead the formation of the Grand River Jazz Soci-ety, the group that a few months later opened The Jazz Room. A lot of thoughtwent into the project, but Preece admits, “I would never have guessed that itwould be this successful,” he says.The Jazz Room has become the centre of at-tention for music lovers in Waterloo Region and beyond, and has sparked a lotof interest much farther afield, from groups recognizing the Preece and companyhave found an answer to many of the life-threatening issues facing arts entities.Typically, a venue is a for-profit venture, where the owner of a bar or anotherperformance place is responsible for the entire operation: facility management,food and beverage, booking the acts, and so on. In contrast, the Grand River JazzSociety is an incorporated not for profit, dependent on unpaid volunteers, in-cluding Preece.They have found the ideal partner in the Huether Hotel. The hotel does notcharge the society for use of the facility, but the hotel handles all the food andbeverage business, and keeps the profit from that business.All of this means that the Jazz Society can operate a year-round jazz club ona relatively miniscule budget – the annual figure is $140,000.Almost all of thatgoes to pay musicians and technical support.

The Jazz Room supplies employment opportunities for a lot of jazz musicians.The Jazz Room operates 10 months a year (not in the summer), open every Fri-day and Saturday evening, with very rare exceptions. Fridays, the players arelikely to be local jazz musicians; on Saturdays, there are often national and in-ternational stars on the stage. Young local jazz musicians have an opportunityto perform as opening acts for established stars.Preece points out that he teaches social entrepreneurship at Laurier. One cur-rent trend, he says, is that “entrepreneurs are re-examining the traditional mod-els….And that’s what we’ve done here.”Key to making it work, he says, is the not-for-profit model. Volunteers providethe foundation and framework in which the venue owner – the Huether – canprofit, and musicians and support people can get paid. And where jazz lovershave a place to slake their artistic thirst.This would not work, of course, without committed volunteers, and a venuelike the Huether willing to dedicate the space as a venue used exclusively forjthe Jazz Society. “The Huether,” says Preece, “is a great partner.”He also praises the board members of the Society. He’s President, but hepoints out that this is a genuine “working board”, with everyone contributingsweat equity to the project.“Everybody’s a volunteer,” says Preece.The Board in-cludes John Lord, Ruth Harris, Tom Nagy, Colin Read,Ashok Thirumurthi, Geral-dine Bradshaw and Steven Montgomery. Another key member of the team ismusician Ted Warren, who has been named artistic director for the Saturdayshows.The Jazz Room is now well into its third year, and is clearly a success. But theGrand River Jazz Society is not resting on it laurels. Says Preece,“we have movedinto educational things, workshops, talks, jazz appreciation kinds of things.”Preece and his colleagues are continually striving for improvement.Attendanceis good, but they want better than good, and “we’re continually trying to get theword out.”It’s all about trust, he says. That is one key to longevity of a venue like the JazzRoom – while the audience may be attracted by some well-known names, theywill also come back for a lesser known talent, simply because they have cometo trust the organizers of the show.The Society’s literature talks about its “dual mandate – to support exceptionalmusicians from our own community, and to invite performers from acrossCanada and aboard, for local audiences to experience.”Well, that’s true. But the same blurb mentions that “The Jazz Room is a sizzlingnightclub dedicated to the best in jazz.”That really captures the end product of Stephen Preece’s entrepreneurial ex-pertise and love for music. He’s the impetus behind all that wonderful, sizzling,jazz. - By Paul Knowles

WATERLOO’S JAZZ ROOM - A UNIQUESUCCESS STORY

MONITOR

Stephen Preece, creator of The Jazz Room


Normally my articles are focused on Leadership, but this article is focused ona different application of leadership – Being a leader within our local and worldcommunity. I want to share a recent experience where I traveled to Debre Berhan,Ethiopia.What an amazing and surreal experience to travel to Ethiopia along with a teamof 11 other volunteers through Habitat Canada Global Village. I have experi-enced many build days here in Canada with the many Habitat Affiliates FutureFocus Inc supports professionally and as volunteers, but these experiences didnot prepare me for the adventure in Ethiopia. It is very difficult to tell this storyin a short and concise way because this adventure was so rich in amazing andunique experiences. Anyone who wants to know more, please connect and Iwould be happy to share more details of how amazing it is to participate inWorldCommunity Service in this way. So here’s my story:Our Mission:Within the borders of Debre Berhan, there is a 650-home community that isbeing built by Habitat for Humanity. There are 50 Chika Houses remaining to bebuilt for low-income families to complete this community. These homes are sosmall and basic that we wouldn’t see them as anything more than a detachedgarage here in Canada, but what a vast improvement to many of the homes inurban communities in Ethiopia.Whereas in Canada, Habitat homes are built by a myriad of community sup-porters from donors through to wonderful community volunteers, in Ethiopia themoney comes from international sponsorship (with Canada being in the top fivecontributors). Volunteer hours to build the homes come from two sources; thefirst source is actually the family members that will be the recipients of thehomes.The second source of volunteers would be the members within my Habi-tat Global Village team, and other GV teams that have preceded and followed.This is important to the story because the most spectacular part of this experi-ence was the time I spent side-by-side with the people that were being positivelyimpacted by our efforts!The People:As I mentioned, definitely the most amazing part of my experience was thepeople that I had the opportunity to interact with including: the Habitat Ethiopiastaff/volunteers, the family members we worked with, and all the kids from thecommunity that I played with during my lunch periods and on the weekend!The best way to describe the Ethiopian people that I became very close to is,

extremely hard working, happy and excited for the opportunity of owning theirown home, fun and energetic when working side-by-side with us, curious and fas-cinated with our electronics that we carried (phones, cameras, etc.), and espe-cially thankful to us because we chose to share in building their dream for their

families.We worked side-by-side together without understanding each other’s language,but we managed to communicate, sharing knowledge, stories, laughter, and ofcourse our work chants. When we weren’t busy on the build project of the day,I was out playing with the kids in the community. You have to be careful whengetting into a game of football (soccer in Canada) as they have amazing ball-handling skills!The Home Building Experience:I know for a fact that I found muscles in my body that I didn’t know existed priorto the work we did here! Everything is done manually, and nothing at all iswasted. The only manufactured tools that we used were shovels and pick-axesto dig foundations and 10-foot-deep latrine pits (no plumbing). Everything elsewas done by hard work or homemade tools using available materials (e.g. Eu-calyptus branches to make ladders).We had the opportunity to work on each stage of the Chika home-building fromdigging trenches for the foundation, to applying the paint (homemade usinggypsum and other natural materials).These homes seem relatively simple com-pared to our standards, but they are very efficient with maximum use of mate-rials.As an example, the soil that we extract when digging the foundation is usedas an ingredient to make the Chika.Whereas, the rock bed that is carved out todig the latrine’s pit (10 feet deep) is used to fill in the floor of the home becauseit is harder and will save on the amount of cement required.You can learn about all the steps for building a Chika house by watching:www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZQneYyHRFU. This video was not done by ourgroup, but it is in the same Habitat Community in Debre Birhan, and I recognizesome of the same characters!Getting Involved:Habitat for Humanity in Canada is a wonderful collection of Affiliates that sup-port impoverished families in our local communities to break the cycle of povertythrough affordable home ownership. It is a web of many efforts coming togethertowards this mission: volunteers, corporate and private donors, municipal sup-port, staff, and board/committee members from the community. In Ethiopia, theysimply do not have the same resources, so it is up to us and other countries tolend a hand. Being involved in a build experience like this, transformed all of us.While it may not be possible for everyone to commit the time to travel aroundthe world, there is still a way to make a difference. Making a donation to Habi-tat Canada Global Village or your local Habitat Affiliate is an excellent way toshow your support. This was truly a life changing experience for me, and I hopethat my stories and my pictures can in some way influence others to get involvedand experience it for themselves. - By Michael Snyders

BUILDING UP HOMES – HABITAT FOR HUMANITY CANADA’S GLOBAL VILLAGE

MONITOR

Michael Snyders is shown, back, third from right.

Photoby

HabitatforH

umanity


On January 13, 2014, the Internet company said it was acquiring Nest, a makerof smart smoke alarms and thermostats, in a move that gives Google a strongfoothold in a hot new market known as the “connected home.”The idea behind the connected home is to connect heating systems, lightingsystems and appliances such as refrigerators to the Internet so that they can bemade more efficient and controlled from afar. In the process, companies can col-lect more data about people’s habits, something Google loves.Nest’s price tag shows Google means business: $3.2 billion cash. If the dealgoes through—which Google expects in the next few months—it will be one of itslargest acquisitions since the Internet giant bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.6 bil-lion. Google has been interested in Nest since at least 2011,when it led a roundof funding in the company, followed by another in 2012.Nest makes a thermostat and a smoke-and-carbon-monoxide monitor thatcan be controlled via Wi-Fi from a smartphone, and that can re-program them-selves based on people’s behaviour. The privately held company was foundedin 2010 and has more than 300 employees spread across three countries. Agood number of its workers, including CEO Tony Fadell, are former Apple employ-ees.So why is Google willing to cough up so much for such a young company? Forstarters, it likely saw a pool of talented engineers who can help it tap into a hotnew market. It may also be seeking a launching pad to play a bigger role in con-necting all those home devices, be they thermostats or perhaps one day yourtoaster oven.”This is a new area for Google, representing a desire to take advantage of alldevices,” said Ben Bajarin, director of consumer technology at Creative Strate-gies, a market intelligence and research firm.“Google wants its own platform forthis world of connected things.”Google certainly wants a bigger presence in the home – it’s shown that alreadythrough other products. Earlier this year it unveiled the Chromecast, a $35 de-vice for streaming television, movies and other content to your TV – its answerto Apple TV. It also operates the PlayStore, providing all sorts of entertainment

options.On its own website, Google maintains a ”tips” page devoted to Google servicesin the home, like how to use Google+ to “get the family together.”Linking home appliances is an emerging market where Google won’t want toget left behind. The timing of the announcement – coming on the first businessday after the massive International CES closed its doors – is interesting.At thatshow, the connected home was one of the biggest topics.By acquiring Nest, Google will get its hands on one of the most-talked-aboutconnected-device startups of the past year, which was thanks largely to its Applepedigree.Google is already working to connect other types of devices. It recently an-nounced its Open Automotive Alliance, which would bring Google’s Android sys-tem to cars this year, making them smarter. - by Zach Miners, reprinted fromPCWorld

GOOGLE MOVES INTO YOUR HOME

Canadian Heritage River designation of the Grand River 20 years ago was amajor coup in many ways. The Grand River was the first non-wilderness river tobe designated. It was also the first to have its tributaries integrated within its des-ignation, taking a more integrated approach to heritage designation.“The real coup was to convince the ‘powers that be’ to designate the GrandRiver, because it was a departure from all the other designated rivers to thatpoint,” explains Bryan Howard, who worked for the Ministry of Natural Resourcesand co-chaired the Grand Strategy in 1994. “There was a broadening of thescope that paved the way for other non-wilderness rivers in southern Ontario,such as the Thames, Humber and the Detroit rivers to be designated.”Nomination was a lengthy process that began in 1987. The Grand was nomi-nated Feb. 20, 1990.There was a great deal of input from committees and hun-dreds of members of the public all along the way.The Grand was designated onJan. 18, 1994, the 15th river to be designated by the Canadian Heritage RiversBoard, which has representatives appointed for each province and territory.The process had begun when the board met at the historic Langdon Hall in Cam-bridge, where they were presented with a management plan called The GrandStrategy, which provided a plan for the future and a look forward 25 years, to2019. It was developed through a collaborative process involving more than200 representatives of community groups, businesses, educational institutions,municipalities, federal and provincial agencies, First Nations and the GRCA.“It was regarded as a pivotal change for the Canadian Heritage River System toembrace the Grand River into the system, because it was a working river,” Howardsays.The GRCA’s lead in this process was Grand Strategy co-chair Barbara Veale, whodedicated many years to bringing about the river designation. During the twodecades since, she has helped to keep the river designation on the front burnerlocally, nationally and internationally. She now works for Conservation Halton, butshe continues her interest in heritage designation of the Grand.The stumbling block for designation of the Grand River was that it did not meetthe criteria to be considered for its natural features, because it is not a free-flowing river. As a result, it didn’t conform with the CHRS guidelines for naturalheritage. For this reason Veale, Howard and a legion of other people workedextra hard to bring about the nomination and designation based on the two

other areas of nomination: cultural features and recreational opportunities.The Grand nomination document included the major tributaries in the designa-tion — the Nith, Conestogo, Speed and Eramosa rivers. Howard believes that in-cluding these rivers strengthened the case to designate the Grand River. It alsobrought the concept of integrated watershed management into the HeritageRiver nomination process. By 1999, Heritage River plaques had been unveiledon all the rivers to denote their designation.The only river in the CHRS that has more kilometres of designated waterwaysthan the Grand is the Fraser River, as the entire 1,375-km river has been des-ignated. In contrast, many Canadian Heritage Rivers have sections that havebeen designated, such as 48 km of the Yukon River known as “The Thirty Mile,”part of the Klondike Gold Rush. The Yukon itself is nearly 3,200 km long.“One of the biggest values of the Heritage River designation was to raise theprofile of the river in the communities up and down the rivers,” says Veale.“Manyneat things have come out of it, including books about the river, poetry and artfestivals, to name a few.All of those increase awareness of the rivers again. It hasreally helped to have people notice the river, because before the designation,we turned our back on the river.”The Grand Strategy was created to direct change within the Grand River water-shed; the GRCA will be preparing a 20-year monitoring report to outline thechanges that have taken place since designation. - Janet Baine

GRAND RIVER BROKETHEMOLD FOR HERITAGE RIVER SYSTEM

MONITOR

Canoeing: an ideal way to explore our Heritage River.

Photoprovided

byGRCA


Kelly Lovell is a CEO, and a motivational coach. She heads her own corpora-tion, with four distinct “portfolios”. She oversees a team of more than 100 peo-ple. She’s received a multitude of prestigious awards – the youngest person evernamed as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women; a Hesselbein Fellow in 2013(one of the Top 50 Young Leaders of the world); an American Express 2013“Emerging Leader”; Roger’s Woman of the Year; Ashoka’s 2013 Emerging Inno-vator of Canada; and many more.Kelly Lovell is 21 years old. She’s the CEO of The Kelly Effect, a corporation thatis spinning off several subsidiary enterprises.She’s aWaterloo native, the great-granddaughter of John Forsyth of Forsyth andArrow Shirt fame. She attended Resurrection Catholic Secondary School in Kitch-ener, and that’s where she started to make her very large mark.Lovell told Exchange, “It started off small, as one idea I had about bridging thegap between our local volunteer centre and my peers at my high school. No oneknew of the Volunteer Action Centre, where they had all these amazing resourcesfor young leaders to connect with local NGOs and develop their experience.”Lovell decided to build a connection between her classmates, and the volun-teer centre. “I created this inter-school competition that challenged my peers towork as a team in their school to get the most students to log onto the Volun-teer Centre’s platform and participate in some of their tools and resources toearn points. They were competing against other schools for a prize.”She built the project on what might seem to be contradictory principles: thevalue of volunteerism, and her awareness that young people “always want toknow, ‘what’s in it for me?’.” She launched the competition, with the chance towin bragging rights and prizes, in the higher cause of volunteerism – and the re-sults were astonishing.“In two weeks, we generated over 2100 volunteer hours and 750 studentslogged on, and it grew to almost every school in our region.”Virtually overnight success in creating a successful, community-wide programmotivated her to press on to bigger and better things. She says, “That was oneof my ‘Ah-ha!’moments when I realized I had a knack for it, and more importantly,that these gaps existed... Many organizations had the same problem, of tryingto access and engage youth, and youth constantly have the problems of notknowing the resources that many organizations have.”She cites personal experience: “I was one of those keen, young, ambitious lead-ers who had these great goals and ambitions of how we could change the world,ideas I wanted to see put into action... I wanted to try my ideas, to see if I couldpull some of these things off.”There’s no doubt she has, in fact, pulled some of those things off. She runs theprogram called “The Kelly Effect”, her motivational speaking and corporate con-sultation arm. She initiated “The You Effect”, a social media program intendedto link young leaders, world-wide; in April, she launched, “My Clean City”, a na-tion-wide youth leadership program focused on environmental volunteerism.Andstill under wraps is a new social venture to address youth unemployment.She adds that some of her earliest critics have changed their tune. “Passion iscontagious. Some of my greatest supporters used to be the ones who closed aninitial door in my face and said, ‘No it’s not possible, Kelly. Give up.’ But throughpassion and persistence I have earned their respect and support.... If you cansell your passion, you have an infinite number of open doors ahead of you.”Her newest venture,“My Clean City’, looks “to turn volunteer work into volunteerplay.” The program, offered in cities across Canada, including Waterloo Region,links young volunteers with environmental projects in their communities. It’s not,says Lovell, “about knocking off hours or something to do with authority push-ing it on them. It’s something they can take freely in their own hands,mold it theway they want it, do it their way. It also gives them the opportunity to prove theirown capabilities to themselves and their community.”She adds, “A lot of time young people underestimate themselves as leaders...So my programs cater to creating opportunities for youth to take on responsibil-ity beyond their expectations and to realize the leaders they can become.“Young people doubt their abilities, they’re taught by their community that theyneed to achieve certain things before they can become leaders in their own right,but in my experience, it is our youth that is our greatest asset, because when youare young, we can see this world without those lenses.We’re not jaded yet.Wecan point out the obvious questions, kind of ask why are we doing it the way weare?”Clearly, she has enormous faith in the potential of the young, once barriers –both internal and system – are surmounted.She talks of “youthful curiosity and bold tenacity that I believe have the solu-tions to the world’s greatest problems... A lot of my work focuses on creatingopportunities to foster those leaders, or creating opportunities for the profes-

sional world to acknowledge and tap into that leadership.”“We are a change generation. We’re not this ‘me’ generation. I feel this tidalwave of change. You can either resist the tidal wave, or you can build it or surfit.”Lovell’s path to entrepreneurial achievement has been unusual. She says,“A lotof my work has been built on volunteering. This is unheard of. In the businessworld, the first question would be, where’s the finances, where’s the money be-hind it, or how can I fund an idea. I believe if you really want a long term vi-sion.... your first driver shouldn’t be about money.”That doesn’t mean financial success is not part of the goal. The corporationshe has built will continue to promote volunteerism, but is also her personalplatform as a speaker, and a consultant.“A lot of my projects, I perceived despite funding, and that’s coming into playas a later piece,” she says.Lovell says, “I built a lot of it through strategic collaboration, which I believe isreally the hidden aspect for young entrepreneurs...Why try and build a new net-work to market your product or idea or to try and fundraise when you can lever-age off the networks and organizations that already have access to your customerdemographic.Why not align with them and work together?”Kelly Lovell believes in herself, and her enterprises. She knows she has founda unique niche, filling a gap – something she’s clearly good at. She told Ex-change that corporations often “believe there are tons of opportunity for youthto get involved”, but the problem is, they don’t work. So she has created programsthat demonstrably do work.With many more to come. Guaranteed.It’s all just part of the Kelly Effect.

THE KELLY EFFECT

MONITOR

Kelly Lovell: “We are a change generation”.


Getting everyone back into busi-ness was job one, from the morn-ing of the fire. Shantz says,“Everybody around us helped us.The community helped us to movevery quickly to an alternative. Andwe’re going to bring back thebuilding, better than before.”The new, permanent building

should be completed thisyear. The new home for theindoor vendors is in the works, butin the meantime, the “HarvestBarn” was built on the same 20-by-80 metre foundation as thebuilding that was destroyed, atemporary accommodation thatwould allow everyone to re-open.Shantz says the township

helped enormously; at the time,Mayor Todd Cowan was quoted assaying, “We’re going to help fast-trackthe building site plans and the build-ing permits and whatever we can doto help.” According to Shantz, thetownship kept that commitment.Shantz says things are on track to

complete the new indoor market.“We’re hoping to have it opened thisyear, although it will be very late inthe year,” he says. A grand openingcelebration is likely not to take place

until spring, 2015.In the end, the iconic Farmers Mar-

ket will actually be improved, as itrises from the ashes. The indoor ven-dors will have new, modern accom-modations by the end of this year,while the Harvest Barn will be madeavailable as a facility for vendors inthe outdoor market.“Our long-term plan,” says Shantz,

“is to keep that building and use it forthe outdoor market,” as a shelter for

outside vendors. It will extend theirseason, and offer protection fromthe elements.Today, even in their temporary

quarters, things are getting back tonormal for the vendors at the mar-ket. Shantz says that almost every-one returned when the Harvest Barnwas opened.“Everyone who wanted a space

got a space,” he says. A very fewvendors decided that the fire hadbrought them to a point of decision,and opted to close their businesses,but that was a tiny minority.The recovery plan is still unfold-

ing, but there is no doubt that the St.Jacobs Farmers Market is back infull operation. Saturday crowds,says Shantz, are numbering 20,000;up to 35,000 people each week are

visiting the Farmers Market.Although, vendor Angie Scheid of

Clover Leaf Farms says that many ofthose who show up to stroll the mar-ket are more sightseers than shop-pers. The market that has risen fromthe ashes has become a different kindof destination, for some – and the ven-dors are hoping that visitors cut backon the sight-seeing and return to theirformer, money-spending ways.

con’t from page 30

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Shantz: “Even my Dad wouldn’t have imagined how popular the Market is.”

ORGANIC NEWS AGGREGATIONProfessional, Meaningful and Current

Business and Professional News

The Exchange Morning Post is a daily news service (Monday - Friday) aggregator of information and articles on the following topics; Leadership, Research and Technology, Management,Human Resources, Tax, Innovation, Economic Development, Continuing Education, entrepreneurship, Enterprise, Events (Southern Ontario), Networking Events, Fundraising Events, Arts &Culture, Trends and economic shifts that affect you as a professional in the working world. We are the digital offspring of Exchange Magazine’s Watercooler and Who’s Who.BTW ... It’s also a place where you can find out what your neighbors actually do outside of the neighborhood!

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And there have been other challenges. The Harvest Barn,with its fabric roof, has been very expensive – and some-times, apparently, impossible – to heat adequately. Shantzsays, with some irony, “we built a tent in the hardest winterwe’ve had!”�He points out that although problems arising from the

fire were solved with astonishing effi-ciency, nonetheless, “It’s been tremen-dously difficult; our vendors have beenvery, very patient throughout.”�But the biggest challenge, he says, is

“changing the perception that we’reclosed.”� The truth is, the St. JacobsFarmers Market was never closed. Theoutdoor vendors were in operation bySaturday, the very next day of regularlyschedule market business. Some indoorvendors were assigned temporary quarters soon after that;all that asked for space were back in business by earlyDecember.�But the story of the disastrous fire had better legs than

the story of the Phoenix-like recovery; the market mayhave arisen new from the ashes, but a lot of people don’tknow it.�Shantz says the tale has also grown in the telling: “We

still get calls from people who heard the whole town

burned to the ground.”� He suggests that “the popularity ofthe market was a two-edged sword” – everyone was inter-ested in the story, but not nearly everyone got the factsright. “The challenge is to get the word out that we’re fullyopen, and that there’s lots to do.”�Today, several months after the fire of September 2, the

news is still all about the rapid recoveryfrom disaster. But there may be a biggerstory.�The new building is going to take the

Market to another level. It’s going to bebigger than the building it replaces,with more amenities. And the HarvestBarn will also continue to be in use.�All of which will probably mean that

St. Jacobs Farmers Market will be evenmore popular than in the past – and

that is going some. The entire St. Jacobs enterprise was launched by leg-

endary local entrepreneur, Milo Shantz. Milo, who passedaway in 2009, was Marcus’s father.�The younger Shantz now says, “even my Dad, who was

very enthusiastic, wouldn’t have imagined how popular theMarket is” – a popularity underscored by the amazing out-pouring of public interest in the wake of an early-morningfire.

The biggest challenge is changing the perception thatthe Farmers Market is closed.“We still get calls from people

who heard the whole townburned to the ground.”

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*

*Trade-mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus used under license.

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RISING FROM THE ASHESWhat I felt was disbelief, even when I got there.”� That’s

Marcus Shantz, President of the Mercedes Corpora-tion, talking about the shock he felt on the morning of Sep-tember 2, 2013, when he realized the main building at theSt. Jacobs Farmers Market – which is owned by Mercedes –was a smouldering ruin.The fire call had come in at 1:48 a.m.� “And very quickly,”

he adds, “came the realization that this wasn’t just ourbusiness – there are an awful lot ofstakeholders.”�Yes, there are. The building that was

lost housed 65 booths, operated by 60vendors. As well, the St. Jacobs market ishome to over 300 outdoor vendors, and aflea market section, with about 50 small-business owners.�The news of the fire spread across the

country like – well, like wild fire. The 24,000 square footwooden building had no chance. The good news was, noone was hurt in the blaze. The bad news – the indoor ven-dors had lost everything they had in the building. Shantz sums it up: “Nobody died, but it was a disas-

ter.”� In some cases, vendors lost their equipment equip-ment; in others, their entire inventory. Some were insured,some not. Shantz says, “the craft people were hit particu-

larly hard,” because of total loss of inventory.�Politicians showed up en masse to express support. The

local municipality – Woolwich township – did everything itcould to help the Farmers Market, according to Shantz. Afund was set up through the Kitchener-Waterloo Communi-ty Foundation to provide some help to the vendors in theirlosses. By late March, 2014, $182,000 had been raised (the chari-

table arm of the Mercedes Corporationhas matched donations), and an initialdonation of $1,000 went to each ven-dor, with more possible depending onindividual need. Clearly, some help – butnot a lot.�Perhaps the more remarkable assis-

tance to the vendors came in very prac-tical terms. Shantz says that as soon as

they had comprehended the loss, “our job as a team was toget this thing back.” The outdoor market didn’t miss oneday of operation; the building destroyed in the blaze wasreplaced with a temporary “barn” within three months. The market owners sought to find ways to keep their

vendors in business; those who had no other outlets wereaccommodated first, and almost every vendor was back inoperation before Christmas. �


This wasn’t just our business –there are an awful lot of stakeholders ... getting

everyone back into businesswas job one.

con’t on page 28

BY PAUL KNOWLES Marcus Shantz

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Marcus Shantz

Lifestyle

Exchange Home Edition 2014