Hamilton Community Foundation - Donors - Donor Stories

Donors

Donor Stories

Mayberry Family Creates Fund for Youth at Risk

Sue & John Mayberry

John Mayberry was not even three months into his first job at Dofasco before he was asked to help out at a community fundraiser. This first intersection of his career path with community work left an indelible impression. It also set a pattern for the rest of his executive life - 36 years of which he spent in Hamilton.

"I spent many years at Dofasco and we always said we'd only be successful if we served our stakeholders, which included the community" says the 59-year-old today.

So when John retired from Dofasco, he did not retire his devotion to community causes. He and his wife Sue decided to create the Mayberry Family Fund at the Hamilton Community Foundation. And to ensure theirs is a legacy of balance between hard work and good works, he appointed his three grown children - Michael, 35; Jeffrey, 32; and Jo-Anne, 30 - advisors of the donor-advised fund.

"I got a lot of mentoring at work on giving and supporting the community. I was a little concerned that our kids would go through life and not get that opportunity. We started the fund with the condition that my kids would be involved each year to review community needs and decide where the money will go," he says. The Mayberry family opted to dedicate their family fund to projects geared to providing positive experiences for youth at risk up to age 14. They'll take their cues from the expertise available at HCF in order to identify where the community's greatest needs are and will annually decide how the money will be used.

John is a fan of how donor-advised funds allow families such as his to create a stable, long-term source of income for worthwhile community programs. "This isn't an earth-shattering gift," he says humbly. "It fills a void and it serves the purpose."

HCF doesn't underestimate the power of such a gift. Thanks to forward thinkers like John and Sue Mayberry, and countless other donors, Hamilton Community Foundation can take a long view on the needs of the community, helping to build the capacity of our community to meet its needs both now and in the future. And a family fund means that the Mayberry's four young grandchildren will grow up while their family's donation creates a lasting legacy of good in Hamilton.

Excerpt from the 2003-2004 Hamilton Community Foundation Annual Report