Happy National Philanthropy Day! It seems fitting that we take this day to announce our most recent donation.

In June 2020, we lost a very important member of our Companies Who Care family – Denis O’Connell. Denis was the true definition of a philanthropist and one of the original founders, and first President, of Companies Who Care. As such, we committed to making a donation each year in his memory. This donation would be unsolicited and would benefit a cause that we know would be near and dear to his heart.

This year, we are proud to announce The Denis O’Connell Memorial Donation of $5,000 to allow 50+ at-risk/in-need children to attend The Robert McLaughlin Gallery‘s After School Youth Program and/or other child-focused art programs. The Robert McLaughlin Gallery will work hand-in-hand with other local organizations and schools to ensure children who are most in-need are given with the opportunity to attend these multi-week art programs. This sponsorship will be spread over the next year ensuring that week after week, local underprivileged children and youth are provided with a therapeutic space to connect, unplug and express themselves artistically. Companies Who Care are proud to partner with The Robert McLaughlin Gallery to allow youth and children from diverse backgrounds to engage together, with art that inspires.

Giving so many children the opportunity to attend this enriching programming, which would otherwise not be accessible to them, would have made Denis very happy.