Eugene Melnyk - Philanthropy

Philanthropy

Eugene Melnyk is involved with various charitable organizations. His primary charitable focus is on helping children and the elderly. His involvement has included:

  • Honorary Director of Help Us Help the Children (HUHC), a humanitarian organization that benefits from his annual donation of medical supplies and clothing. The organization, founded in Canada, helps to offer vital care to over 100,000 children living in 220 orphanages scattered throughout Ukraine.
  • Donated $1 million to the Belmont Child Care Association for the construction of a child care center at Belmont Park. Called Anna House, it is named after one of his two daughters and the center is the first facility in the United States to be located on the grounds of a racetrack. The center provides child care for all families who work at Belmont Park regardless of their ability to pay for services. Many of the children belong to grooms, exercise riders and other behind-the-scenes racetrack employees.
  • Donated to finance the elaborately decorated Byzantine-style Ukrainian Catholic chapel at the St. Demetrius Residence Centre for the elderly in Toronto, Ontario.
  • Donated $1.8 million to St. Michael's College School to upgrade the field with new state-of-the-art artificial grass, stadium lights, sound system, and an electronic scoreboard. This field is called "The Eugene Melnyk Sports Field".
  • Honorary Patron of the St. Joseph's Health Centre; Donated $5 million to St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto to help improve patient access to one of Toronto’s oldest hospitals. Eugene's father, the late Dr. Ferdinand Melnyk, was instrumental in creating the hospital’s first emergency room department that now services the largest volume of patients of any single site hospital in the Greater Toronto Area. This donation was the single, largest private donation in the 86-year history of St. Joseph’s Health Centre.
  • Donated $1 million to launch the foundation "Patrons of Sport" with Canadian Athletes Now Fund (CAN Fund). The foundation supports Canadian athletes.
  • Eugene made a special surprise visit to Kandahar, Afghanistan to deliver a special donation of hockey equipment to Canadian and United States troops involved in the NATO rebuilding efforts in that country.
  • Serves on the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, the second largest charity in Ottawa. His involvement with this Foundation has led him to become a Founding Partner of an ambitious and innovative $4.5 million pediatric palliative care facility in Ottawa called Roger’s House which he helped to officially open in April 2006 and is only the second facility of its kind in North America.
  • Partners with Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa (CAYFO) to host the "Skate for Kids" event at Scotiabank place every year. He donates Senators jerseys, helmets and brand new skates, for over 100 children to be able to take part in the community and learn to skate.
  • Benefactor of Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada
  • Patron of the Hnatyshyn Foundation
  • Director of the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation
  • Patron of the annual Barbados-Canada Charity Ball
  • Honorary Chair of the Canadian Ukrainian Care Centre’s capital campaign

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