A grant to McMaster University’s Let’s Talk Science! partnership supported students from at four Hamilton elementary schools to care for and hatch Atlantic salmon eggs in their classrooms over the winter, and then to re-introduce the fish into the Lake Ontario watershed.  Once a keystone species, these fish were eradicated from the lake in the late 1800s.  This program enables children to learn about the vital role they can play in protecting the environment.

 

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Barbara & Mark Nimigan Fund

"A Way To Have a Positive Influence After We're Gone"

Five years ago, Mark Nimigan was nominated to serve on the Hamilton Community Foundation's Board of Directors. Mr. Nimigan, an official examiner who provides verbatim court reporting services to the legal profession, says that although his knowledge of the Foundation's role was vague at the time, he was persuaded to join because he's passionate about Hamilton. "I was born and grew up here. This city has given me an opportunity work and for my wife and I to raise three fine children. I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to give back to my community. Serving on the Grants Committee has been a real education. I've met terrific volunteers, learned about wonderful organizations which are trying to improve the community and I have seen what the Foundation can do to empower them."

With his term on the Board nearing completion, Mr. Nimigan and his wife Barbara decided that they would like to continue their involvement by establishing a fund to benefit youth and the environment. "You don't have to give a lot," he says. "It's about giving what you can." "It's a natural extension of my volunteer work with young people from the city's north end," Mark adds. "I wanted my relationship with the Foundation to have a financial implication. I'm a great believer in the work that they do and I trust their judgment".

Through their fund, the Nimigans can ensure that their commitment to addressing youth and environmental issues continues. "It's a way to have a positive influence long after we're gone.