KPMG Consultant's Volunteer Work helps spark Marion Dewar Scholarship Fund
As president of the board of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO), KPMG consultant Tyler Meredith has first-hand knowledge of the many struggles facing Ottawa’s growing numbers of immigrants and refugees.
Originally opened in response to Project 4,000, in which more than 4,000 Southeast Asian refugees were welcomed into the homes and hearts of Ottawa residents, OCISO celebrated its 30th anniversary last spring. In so doing, the organization honoured the late Marion Dewar as its anniversary patron, as it was under her leadership that Ottawa rose to the Project 4,000 challenge.
A public policy consultant with KPMG by day, Tyler has been OCISO’s board president for two years. Volunteering has been a passion for him since his youth when he acted as both a student trustee on the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and as a member of Ottawa’s youth advisory committee. He went on to become founder of the National Conference of Children and Youth and was an avid fundraiser for children’s services. Since then, he has focused his energy on fighting poverty and advocating for social justice and social inclusion.
So, when Tyler had the opportunity to work with a mentor of the stature of Marion Dewar for OCISO’s 30th anniversary celebrations, he gained fresh inspiration and insight into the impact people’s efforts can have on the lives of others. Upon Marion’s passing last fall, Tyler became determined to find a meaningful way to honour her legacy, reaching out to the community to come up with a way to give back on her behalf. In November of 2008, with the support of Marion’s son Paul Dewar and a group of community leaders, OCISO announced the establishment of the Marion Dewar Scholarship Fund with the Community Foundation of Ottawa.
Designed to inspire leadership and academic excellence among refugee and immigrant high-school students by supplementing tuition and supplies required for post-secondary education, the Marion Dewar Scholarship Fund will provide four $1,000 scholarships a year beginning in November 2009. A public launch of the fund took place last week and it is hoped that it will eventually grow to provide even more in the way of funding to Ottawa students.
“Ultimately, a scholarship was at the forefront of my mind as the most tangible kind of lasting legacy that would most appropriately honour Marion’s contribution to the immigrant experience in Ottawa,” said Tyler, “and the Community Foundation was a natural fit as the best organization to partner with because of all the integrity it brings to everything it’s connected to.”
Adds Barbara McInnes, President & CEO of the Foundation, “this is a perfect illustration of another facet of the valuable contribution advisors make to the community. Not only do they work diligently with their clients on charitable giving, they also play an active role as committed volunteers themselves, donating their time and talent to boards, committees and on the front lines. It’s another reason we at the Community Foundation are proud to be associated with these fine professionals.”
