AFC Commemorates Kenneth Maguire Trust: 20 Years of Paying it Forward
In 1996, four years before his death in October 2000, Kenneth Maguire, 8th Bishop of Montreal (1963–75), entrusted his legacy to AFC.
Described by those who knew him as a witty, warm, kind, and generous person who lived frugally and managed his investments, Bishop Maguire had a singular vision for his beneficiaries: that his generosity would benefit them for generations to come.
Since the first grant in 2001, the Maguire Trust has disbursed $1,645,000 to three beneficiaries, including his beloved Diocese of Montreal. “It has become part of my Christmas practice to include the cheque from the Maguire Trust to our retired clergy, and widows, and to our non-stipendiary clergy of retirement age in my Christmas card to them,” says the Rt. Rev. Mary Irwin-Gibson, Bishop of Montreal.
According to Will Postma, Executive Director, Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, gifts from the Maguire Trust made it possible for PWRDF to “leverage sixfold funding from the Government of Canada for COVID-19 response programming in four countries in Africa.”
Heather McDonald, CEO, LOFT Community Services, says Bishop Maguire’s heart for the homeless and marginalized in Toronto lives on. “Funds from the Maguire Trust were instrumental in the development of LOFT’s Transitional Age Youth program, which provides street-involved youth support with mental health and addictions.”
On the 20th anniversary of Kenneth Maguire’s legacy, AFC is inviting Anglicans across the country to give thanks for this faithful servant of the church whose generosity will continue to bring joy to so many and pay it forward for decades to come.
If you have ever received a grant from the Anglican Foundation, you know first-hand how the generosity of other Anglicans made it possible for you to reach a little further, to imagine more than you could have on your own. That’s the pay-it-forward energy at work. And it feels even better to give it than to receive it. That’s the greatest donor benefit of all!
