An Okotoks couple has been recognized among some of the worlds most notable philanthropists, including Bob Hope, Bill Gates and former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
Last month, Larry and Gloria Macdonald received the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from United Way Worldwide, the organization’s highest honour recognizing significant volunteer leadership.
Larry said they were honoured to be selected as this year’s recipients – the first from outside of the United States in the award’s 42-year history.
“It just blew us away really, (the ceremony) was up in Charleston in South Carolina, and our children all flew down. They did a video and it was just an awesome video… there was a picture of the maternity ward that we just rebuilt, and there wasn’t a dry eye in house,” he said.
Larry grew up, and still lives on his family’s farm five kilometers west of Okotoks where he and Gloria raised their three children.
While Gloria taught at the Foothills Composite High School for a number of years, Larry worked his way through the oil and gas sector as a geologist.
He said because of his place in the business world, he was asked to do a bit of volunteer work for United Way of Calgary, and it ballooned from there.
“A friend of mine asked me to make some calls for United Way… so I made three or four calls that year… then got on the committee, then chaired the campaign in 1993, then chaired the board, then went on the board of United Way of Canada, then went on the board of United Way International,” Larry explained.
“We travelled globally around the world and spoke about United Way and made small donations here and there and everywhere.”
In addition, to donating more than $1 million of their own money to both local and global United Way campaigns, the Macdonalds have volunteered countless hours travelling the world providing leadership and helping to mentor various United Way groups.
“We’ve done a few projects in Africa, mostly Ghana and Uganda, one that was dear to our heart recently was a maternity ward in Uganda, and we kind of did it in honour of our granddaughter who is only a year old who had a very tough start in life and her name is Zoe, and they called it the Zoe Project so it was really cool,” Gloria said. “Your whole sense of how lucky you are really changes once you reach beyond your nearest community.”
Larry said he’s been able to use his oil and gas connections to help the organization as well.
“We were in Ghana and Newmont was a big mining company and I said ‘we should get them involved in United Way… So I made arrangements to stop in the Newmont office to see if they would support United Way,” he said. “That was 10 years ago, and Newmont still supports United Way of Ghana… It’s not all about money, and it’s about being a catalyst and causing things to happen because I don’t mind walking into any boardroom in the world and talking to the CEOs about how we can work together to make the community better.”
Of all the charities out there, Gloria said what they have enjoyed about working with United Way is the ability to inspire local people to make local change and see how it impacts the community.
“When you raise money in a community, so it’s community based money, to raise it from the local area, I feel there is much less waste because it’s raised locally and then it’s given back locally,” she said. “For example World Vision, I mean they all do good things, but they don’t actually see where it ends up but if you raise money in your own community, you’re very engaged in where that money will end up.”
Joyce Wilbur, who is the former major donor relations vice president with United Way Worldwide, has known the Macdonalds for many years and said United Way is extremely grateful for the leadership and philanthropy the Macdonalds have shown over the years.
“What’s extraordinary about them, they have a commitment to making all communities better, and where they manifest is they made about 45 trips on United Way’s behalf to about 16 countries all at their own expense,” she said. “And they were leadership trips, so it would be going to meet with United Way boards in places like Ghana or in Uganda to help trade ideas, to encourage them to make calls on business leaders in those communities.”
She said while the couple remains humble about the work they do, she believes they are more than deserving of the prestigious honour.
“What the Macdonalds have done hasn’t really been equaled by anyone, to make that many trips to that many countries,” she said. “I would say they’re about the most generous people I’ve ever met.”
