megram - Index

megram - Guide To Spring Fun In Ottawa's East End - Index

local staff in the homes. In Canada,
just three part-time office employees
work with the Cappucinos to administer
the organization. Bonnie, now
73, spends half her time in the field,
travelling to each of the homes four
times a year. Fred, now 81, focuses on
administration and fundraising in
Canada, as well as publishing a quarterly
newsletter.
“Modesty prevents me from
telling you who edits it,” he jokes,
“but the excellent newsletter that we
put out is one of our major fundraising
methods.”
The Child Haven International
initiative began when Fred, a
Unitarian minister, and Bonnie
talked to their family physician, Dr.
Natubhai Shah, about the needs of
many children in his native country.
Moving almost immediately from
talk to action, the Cappuccinos, who
came to Canada from the U.S. in
1967, opened their first haven in
India in 1985.
The Cappuccinos, who both hold
the Order of Canada, have received
numerous awards for their philanthropic
work. In addition to such
awards as the Canada Volunteer
Certificate of Honour for contributions
to children and the Ontario
Medal for Good Citizenship, they
received a UNESCO award for teaching
human rights in 1988, (at that
time, they were the first Canadians to
have been so honoured). In 1994,
they won Canada’s Baha’i Racial
Unity Award. Most recently, on
September 9, 2007, their dedication
to children was recognized at the
ONE X ONE foundation award dinner
in Toronto. ONE X ONE is a nonprofit
foundation committed to supporting,
preserving, and improving
the lives of children at home in
Canada and around the world.
Also honoured on the same occasion
for their work with charitable
organizations were such celebrities as
film star Richard Gere, the Duchess
of York Sarah Ferguson, singers
Shakira and Wyclef Jean, and Chief
Phil Fontaine. Matt Damon was the
master of ceremonies.
Fred and Bonnie express some
surprise at being included among
such a well-known group, though
they admit that as they do not have a
television in their Maxville farmhouse
they are not familiar with some
of the stars.
The couple is now embarking on a
series of dinners across Canada to
raise funds for Child Haven
International. Other organizations
also hold fundraisers in support of
Child Haven International. For
instance, in June 2007, AD ASTRA, a
OTTX134D
Due East Magazine • Page 9 • Spring 2008
foundation set up in memory of professor
Sean Egan, held such an event
in Almonte. Professor Egan had visited
the Child Haven International home
in Kathmandu, Nepal, several times.
He died in 2005 in an attempt to
become the oldest Canadian to reach
the summit of Mount Everest.
For more information about
Child Haven International, visit
www.childhaven.ca.
Iris Winston writes and lives in Almonte.
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