The fond memory of our parents and grandparents as community leaders is what shaped us as volunteers. They taught us the importance of belonging to a community and, more important, giving to community. Their actions set the stage for our actions.

They had to give of themselves for the less fortunate. And we follow this mantra devotedly.

Our parents taught us the value of volunteerism and it was only natural that we carry on this invaluable tradition. As a young couple who re-settled in Toronto from Montreal, we had the responsibility to teach the same to our children Tina,Paul and Daniel.

Our involvement in community work began in Montreal and when we moved to Toronto in 1983, we were welcomed with open arms by the community. There were so many who offered guidance and warmth and that, too, reinforced our desire to give what we could because the example was being set all around us.

In a word, our involvement and our gift are because of ‘people.It's about our family, about trying to give them the traditional values we have. It's about people who don't have what we have; it's about the elderly who might not be as comfortable as they once were; it's about kids in school. It's about those not in this country, who we visited all over the world. It's really about anyone we see, anyone we touch. That's why it is so important to be involved in community. The more you know the more you recognize how important it is.

As we grew as a family, we became cognizant of the responsibility to build a safety net for our children and generations to come. Our involvement was not enough. We needed to provide a lasting legacy. When we are no longer here, we want to be sure the community will be — and a thriving community, at that.