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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 15, 2016 | 26 L Charity began early for new OCF board chair and his wife pay in full. Cindy remembers when they were just starting to get involved in charities, in Atlantic Canada as a young family. You see the need "You read the paper every day," recalls Cindy, "and see all the need in our country and the world and think, `What can we do?' You feel kind of helpless, not knowing how you can make a difference, so you just start at home and do what you can," she says. Gerry and Cindy took this mindset to heart, starting their charity at home first. Coaching their sons through baseball, volunteering as canvassers for the Canadian Cancer Society and other charities; these small deeds began into Gerry's professional life. His introduction to community foundations came through his work as a tax partner at Grant Thornton. After a meeting with then-foundation CEO Rusty Baillie, Gerry became an integral member of the professional advisory committee and then a fullfledged member of the board and, as of this year, as chair. Confident and forward-looking "I'm pleased the other board members have the confidence in me to ask me to become chair," says Gerry. "I'm certainly looking forward to it, to try and help carry on the great work of the community foundation. I'm really looking forward to working with Wendy [Rinella], the CEO, of course." Gerry's rise to chair at the foundation is no surprise upon discussing Oakville's pressing issues. For example, Gerry takes considerable concern in the well-being of local youths, particularly improving their access to mental health services. Through the May Court Club, which focuses on women, children and seniors facing physical and mental health challenges, Cindy is equally dialed in to the challenges facing Oakville. The couple that volunteers together, stays connected to the community together. The continued development of Oakville is never far from either Gerry or Cindy's thoughts. When asked for his advice to prospective community members looking for ways to contribute, Gerry stresses the need for a comprehensive approach. More must get involved "We need a lot more people to get involved," says Gerry. "Cindy and I enjoy what we do and so in addition to giving the little bit that we give to the community we certainly get a lot more back in satisfaction." Cindy agrees. "It's a great way to meet communityminded and caring people for one thing," she says, "and it's a great way to get to know your community. If you're not involved you really don't know the issues that are out there." Looking towards the future, the Popps are hopeful for the growth of giving in the community. "We can only hope that the level of philanthropy in Oakville will continue to grow," says Gerry, "and certainly, that's one of the major roles that the Community Foundation has undertaken is to try and increase the level of philanthropy in Oakville." The dream can be realized It's a dream that can be realized. We all just need to take a page from Gerry and Cindy. Start at home. If you can keep up your commitment, your impact can only grow. It's a mindset that Gerry lives by and one The Foundation looks forward to working under in the coming year. -- submitted by the Oakville Community Foundation ooking through the recipients for the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal, Gerry Popp remembers feeling extremely humbled. "I certainly didn't feel as worthy as many of the other people who did so much more," he recalls. What keeps a person with more than 30 years of dedicated community service this modest? The Oakville Community Foundation's (OCF) new chair, Gerry Popp, may be an accountant by trade, but when he looks at Oakville, he sees a world beyond dollars and cents. For Gerry and his wife Cindy, after 30 years of volunteerism in Oakville, the main currency is time. It's service to this community that they always Gerry and Cindy Popp | Metroland file photo adding up into something much greater than the Popps. The move to Oakville After moving to Oakville in 1979, Gerry served on the boards of the Canadian Rehabilitation Council for the Disabled, the United Way of Oakville and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. His wife Cindy also rose through the ranks of local not-for-profits, chairing the Athena Leadership Awards and the Canadian Cancer Society, and later becoming an executive of the May Court Club of Oakville, which she will chair 201617. 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