Oliver Family Creates a New Fund at the Community Foundation for L&A
The Oliver Family Fund has been established at the Community Foundation for Lennox & Addington with a generous initial gift from a family with deep roots in Napanee.
The Oliver Family Fund has been created to provide educational bursaries, support environmental, healthcare and animal welfare initiatives and review sustainable ways to alleviate poverty. The Oliver family has expressed “We are excited to collaborate with the Community Foundation to support causes important to our family in L&A County.”
Brothers John and David Oliver are leading the fund; both gentlemen are proud to have been born and raised in Napanee. John a graduate from the University of Guelph, who had a long successful career in in Agriculture (Elanco, Eli Lilly, and Dow Agri Sciences). In 2013 John was inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame for his many contributions to enhancing Canada’s Agricultural landscape. Most notably putting Canada’s Canola and flax seed on the global stage. David a Queens Graduate, with a master’s degree in business administration who had a long, successful career in high tech in the transportation sector. Best known for 407 highway toll technology and the EZPass in the United States.
The fund is having an immediate impact with the creation of the Ross and Helen Oliver Student Award in loving memory of their father, Ross and mother, Helen. The Olivers were both enthusiastic about education and its amazing platform that help shape the future and personal growth of our young people. This student award, beginning in 2026, annually supports two Napanee and District Secondary School students pursuing post-secondary education with $1,000 each towards their education.
“CFFLA is incredibly appreciative that the Oliver family has chosen to create this fund that will annually support charities in L&A County that are important to them.” said Bob Baker, Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “It is a donor directed fund, meaning the family can direct funds to the causes they choose each year.”
The Community Foundation for Lennox & Addington is a registered charity with a mission to connect donors to the causes they are enthusiastic about and exploring the needs of the community to better understand where support is most needed. The Foundation provides a never-ending resource for charitable causes in Lennox & Addington by building endowment funds that respond to the needs of our community today, tomorrow, and for future generations to come. Established in 1987, the Community Foundation solicits donations from individuals, businesses, and service organizations to fulfill our mission. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed $2 million to charitable causes and student awards.
