A
Philanthropic Leader and Friend of St. Mary’s
Profile
of Mac Voisin
One
of the area’s most prominent business figures, and a long time
supporter of St.
Mary’s, Mac Voisin, recently chose to leave a bequest in his will
for the Foundation. Mac’s business, M&M Meat Shops, has become tremendously
successful, and leaving a bequest to St. Mary’s continues an
impressive record of philanthropy in this community.
It
was twenty years ago that Mac and his then brother-in-law had an
idea. They wanted to
offer restaurant-style food products to consumers at the retail
level. The first
M&M Meat Shop was opened in 1980 on Victoria Street South, in
Kitchener. It was tough
at first, but slowly, M&M developed a following and the business
became a successful franchise operation.
There are now over 300 stores across Canada with sales of
$275 Million in 1999. M&M
Meat Shops is truly a Canadian success story.
Born
and raised in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, Mac Voisin is the second
of nine children. He attended St. Jerome’s High School and graduated from the
University of Waterloo as a Mechanical Engineer. Before creating M&M Meat Shops, Mac worked as a real
estate broker and as a homebuilder.
As
his business began to succeed, he realized the importance of sharing
his success with those in need.
“Part of the basic philosophy of M&M is giving back to
the community,” notes Mac, adding “we host hundreds of charity
barbeques and raise more than $5 Million annually across the
country.”
Being
from a large family and living in the Kitchener-Waterloo area all of
his life, Mac has a great interest in seeing this community thrive.
“I love living here in Kitchener-Waterloo, and I am proud
to travel across the country and say that this is where M&M is
headquartered.”
St.
Mary’s General Hospital is important to Mac and has benefited from
his generosity in many ways. He
currently serves on the St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation’s
Board of Directors. “It is a special place,” he says “and it is clear that
at St. Mary’s, service is number one.”
The Frank and Glady
Voisin Intensive Care/Coronary Care Unit at St.
Mary’s, opened in 1997, is named after his parents, and was funded
in part by a major gift from M&M Meat Shops.
In
addition, Mac has been keenly involved with the Crohn’s &
Colitis Foundation of Canada, the Kitchener and Waterloo Community
Foundation, Junior Achievement of the Waterloo Region and the Food
Bank of Waterloo Region. Mac
and M&M Meat Shops have received several awards in recognition
of their outstanding fundraising efforts.
Most recently, M&M received recognition from the IMAGINE
program, a national initiative of the Canadian Centre for
Philanthropy.
Mac
is truly regarded as a philanthropic leader in this community.
When
asked why he chose to leave a bequest in his will for St. Mary’s,
Mac says that he has a deep respect for those who care for patients,
as well as for the administration who ensure that the hospital runs
smoothly. “St. Mary’s
has such a strong history,” he remarks,
“This was a great way for me to try to ensure that the
future will be strong as well.”
Mac is quick to encourage others to leave a bequest also,
noting, “We will all likely use the hospital, so we should all
contribute to it.” He
laughs and adds, “It really is the way to go.”
Please
consider leaving a bequest in your will for St. Mary’s.
It is an enduring expression of leadership and compassion.
You can make a difference and leave a lasting legacy of
caring that will improve the lives of future generations.
