The Barbara McInnes Scholarship in Philanthropy is awarded to an outstanding student entering the MPNL program and was endowed in 2016 to recognize McInnes and her long-time service and dedication to the Ottawa community.
She co-founded and led the Ottawa Community Foundation for 15 years, building it into a $100-million charity. Last year, The Ottawa Citizen newspaper called the OCF one of the most important philanthropic organizations in the city. The organization provides more than $2 million to 160 initiatives involved in social services, arts and culture, education, environment, health, and animal welfare in the Ottawa area.
Barbara McInnes studied Philosophy at Carleton University, led the Ottawa Community Foundation and was an inspiring philanthropic leader in Ottawa.
McInnes was invested into the Order of Canada in 2010, recognized for working tirelessly to enhance the culture of philanthropy in Ottawa and beyond. She studied philosophy at Carleton University and was an art collector. She and her husband, Glenn McInnes, donated many artworks to Carleton University, the Ottawa Art Gallery and other galleries.
Alex Munter, who was McInnes’s friend and is the President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, told the Citizen that McInnes would connect, cajole and mobilize people. “Barb’s imprint is all over Ottawa,” he said. “There are tens of thousands of households and hundreds of community organizations that have directly benefited from her work.”
Laura Haggart receives the Barbara McInnes Scholarship
Laura Haggart is this year’s recipient of the Barbara McInnes Scholarship in Philanthropy. In 2016, she began volunteering with Anova, a nonprofit that provides shelter, counseling and resources for abused women and their children. She’s in her first year of the MPNL program.
“I’m honoured and humbled to be selected as the recipient,” she says. “The amount of learning and growth I’ve already experienced has been incredible. I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to be in this program, surrounded by inspiring classmates, faculty, alumni and networks.”
Laura has spent five years volunteering on Anova’s crisis support line, working directly with abused women.
“Volunteering at Anova has been eye-opening to the horrors and heartbreak of gender-based violence and how prevalent it is in communities around the world,” she says. “My volunteer experience is what inspired me to pursue my MPNL degree. Through the program, I hope to gain leadership skills and strategic insights to make a larger impact in the philanthropic sector.”
Laura Haggart is on LinkedIn. Photo of Barbara McInnes is courtesy of Justin Van Leeuwen.
Thursday, January 20, 2022 in For homepage, News & Events
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