The winning raffle ticket was drawn on Sept. 28 at the Ilderton Fair.

Why it matters: The Stanley Knapp Resource Development Fund supports 4-H project resource development, allowing Ontario’s youth an opportunity to expand their knowledge and access up-to-date information.

The canoe was built by Ron McRae, a longtime 4-H supporter, alumnus, and grandson of Stanley Knapp, who started the first Boys’ and Girls’ Club in Waterloo in 1915, which was renamed 4-H Canada in 1952.

“I wanted to honour my parents, Murray and Dorothy, for the years they devoted to agriculture and 4-H here in Middlesex,” McRae explained. “This can be my way of putting the 4-H motto, ‘Learn to Do by Doing,’ into action, one strip of cedar at a time.”

The canoe, won by Danny Jefferies, will serve as a reminder of the community he’s long supported.

“I’ve been involved with the fair for years,” said Jefferies. “To win something that means so much to Ron and to the history of 4-H makes it even more special.”

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Doug Jose made the donation in honour of his late wife, Doreen, whom he met at a 4-H beef club meeting in Beeton, Ont. in 1965.

“It is a pleasure to honour Doreen for her enthusiastic involvement in the 4-H program in South Simcoe County,” Doug Jose said in a release. “It is also an opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to the entire McKay family, her parents Bill and Nora and her sister, Margaret. “

He said Doreen’s family “all passionately participated and contributed to the success of the county 4-H program. I fondly remember the support of all the 4-H members and their families. I am honoured to assist in the continued development of young people in South Simcoe through the 4-H program.”

Doug and Doreen each participated in a variety of 4-H projects throughout their 4-H tenure, including dairy, grain, farm safety, beef, potato, and more. Doreen was a longtime participant of South Simcoe 4-H, and Doug grew up as a 4-H participant in Durham County. The couple married in 1968 and had one child, Darrell. The family resided in Nebraska where Doug was a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Nebraska.

The Doreen McKay Jose Memorial Fund will provide the South Simcoe 4-H Association with approximately $3,500 annually to support their program activities. The Association may use the funds to support their youth however they see fit, whether it be through an education fund, provincial or local program subsidies, or other assistance. The flexibility of the award will directly benefit 4-H youth in South Simcoe.

Tamara Fisher-Cullen, association representative and board member, South Simcoe 4-H Association, said in the release that the association “truly appreciated the opportunity to speak with Doug and learn more about Doreen’s involvement in the South Simcoe 4-H Association. We look forward to honouring her memory and Doug’s generosity through the establishment of several awards, and opportunities for youth to participate in leadership development opportunities through 4-H locally and beyond.”

The Doreen McKay Jose Memorial Fund’s annual funds will be disbursed to the South Simcoe 4-H Association and to the Ontario 4-H Foundation’s general endowment fund beginning in 2025.

“The Ontario 4-H Foundation is grateful to Doug and his family for his incredibly generous contribution to the 4-H program. His gift will benefit both the Foundation’s endowment fund and South Simcoe 4-H participants for many years to come. We are honoured that Doug chose the Foundation as the vehicle for his 4-H legacy,” shares Naomi Lutes, Chair, Ontario 4-H Foundation.

The Ontario 4-H Foundation manages about three million dollars in funds and generates revenue through donations, investment returns and its annual golf tournaments.

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