[ OUR CITY ]
MAYOR
SPIRIT OF
GENEROSITY
WRITTEN
BY ROMINA
MONACO
VIC DE ZEN and
family making
a MOMENTOUS
$10 million
donation to
mackenzie
vaughan
hospital
From the moment he first took office on December 6, 2010
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua not only swore an oath to serve the
citizens of Vaughan by way of strong, local governance founded
on principles of respect, accountability and transparency, he also
made a personal commitment to transcend these core values into a
new and unparalleled initiative etched deep in philanthropy and the
spirit of generosity. A true testament to this City building through
the Spirit of Generosity was on display at Vaughan City Hall where
Mayor Bevilacqua hosted prominent Vaughan citizen Vic De Zen
and his family to announce their $10 million gift to help build and
equip the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital. This is the largest
donation to date from an individual to the Mackenzie Health Foundations $250 million Exceptional Care Belongs Here campaign.
However, Mayor Bevilacqua's vision began to unfold more than five
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Celebrate Vaughan / 2016
years ago when he established the annual Mayor's Gala and Charity Golf Classic in 2011. Both events were founded with the aim
of raising money for special causes and with the mandate to have
all members of the community enjoy the quality of life they justly
deserve. Now in his second term, he is witnessing the fruits of his
labour with a net total of $5 million raised which currently benefit
over 100 charities, non-profit organizations and community groups.
Averaging $1 million a year, these proceeds have made a considerable difference to the lives of many and with its inclusive approach
serving people from all walks of life, the Mayor's undertaking has
managed to make a positive difference.
“Philanthropy is very important because it recognizes that ultimately in life's journey we are all in it together and by this I mean
we're all one event away from finding ourselves in a vulne rable position.