The election occurred on January 11, 2008 at a special meeting of the Board of Directors of the charitable public foundation. The meeting was called as a result of a vacancy in the role of President. The immediate Past President of the Foundation was Kathy Drury who passed away in late December of 2007.

Ray Lessard is a Senior Vice President and Divisional Manager for Southwestern Ontario, BMO Nesbitt Burns. Long time residents of Mississauga, Lessard and his wife Kathy have three university-aged daughters. Community activities have included raising funds for Credit Valley Hospital, Juvenile Diabetes and the BMO Fountain of Hope. Lessard joined the Board of Directors in 2004 and prior to becoming a director, he served on the Investment Committee of the Foundation. He and his family were one of the first major gift donors and fundholders with the Foundation, creating the R. Lessard Family Fund which grants annually to children's organizations in Mississauga.

"We have been fortunate as a charitable organization to have great volunteers and great donors involved." says Lessard. "Our immediate Past President, Kathy Drury was a dedicated champion of the Community Foundation. We miss her spirit. At the same time we celebrate her accomplishments, not the least of which is a platform for the future growth and achievement of the Foundation."

The role of Vice President will be assumed by Steven Offer, a familiar name to many residents of Mississauga. Offer began his career in law but moved into politics in 1985 serving in many capacities including the role of Solicitor General of Ontario in 1989. Offer is currently a Senior Vice President with FNF Canada, a large corporation located in Mississauga. Offer and his wife Karen have been long time residents of Mississauga and coincidentally have also raised three daughters in the community. Offer is well known for a broad range of volunteer activities including Past Director of Child Find of Ontario, Founding Member and Past Director of the Mississauga Children's Festival and Chair of the Economic Development Advisory Council for the City of Mississauga until 2007 to list just some of Offer's contributions to the community. Returning Executive Officers include Peter Campbell as Treasurer and Tom Cooney as Secretary.

"The Community Foundation of Mississauga has exciting goals for the future", says Eileen MacKenzie, Executive Director of the Foundation. "We will require dedicated leadership and vision to help us achieve these goals. Each member of our new Executive Team brings a unique set of skills, both from the business and the charitable sectors. Our capacity to serve our donors, grant recipients and the broader community will be enhanced through their service."

More information about the Community Foundation of Mississauga is available by calling 905-897-8880 or visiting the web site at www.CFofM.org.

Community Foundation of Mississauga

The Community Foundation of Mississauga is a registered charitable public foundation that seeks to match acts of caring with community needs by providing efficient, flexible donor services, grants to a broad range of community needs and leadership in understanding and responding to current and emergent community needs. Incorporated and registered in 2001, the Foundation has experienced significant growth in endowed funds and made the first grants from these funds in 2006. The Community Foundation of Mississauga is now managing in excess of $9.5 million in endowed assets and has granted approximately $500,000 in its first two years of grant making.

Media Contact:
Eileen MacKenzie, Executive Director
905-897-8880
[email protected]

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