After a career of service in the healthcare field and a lifetime of dedication to her local community, Sharon McMillan is grateful to know that the Niagara Community Foundation is making it possible for her to continue that service and dedication – for generations to come.
McMillan and her husband, Jim McMillan, created the Poth-Sabo-McMillan Fund in 2023, an effort to honour and continue the example of commitment to community “that I grew up in and that we tried to instill in our children.”
Named after both her parents, longtime Wainfleet residents and farmers Eleanor Poth and John Sabo, in addition to their family name, McMillan, the Poth-Sabo-McMillan Fund will support initiatives that benefit children, and in particular, children’s mental health.
Both of McMillan’s parents grew up in families that experienced the hardships of immigration and the Depression, and their lives were shaped by frugality, hard work, and community. McMillan said she and her husband always felt fortunate in their education and work opportunities, so after her parents’ deaths and the sale of the Wainfleet farm where she had grown up, “I was in a position to do something that will be lasting and will help the people of Wainfleet and Niagara. There is so much need out there.”
McMillan said giving back to one’s community is something everyone can do, whether it’s through giving large or small gifts, or volunteering one’s time. She has been aware of the Foundation since its inception in 2000, and is a member of its Wainfleet committee, so the idea of being able to create a family fund brought her great joy.
Her husband and children “were wholeheartedly behind it,” and although her father did not know this would be his legacy, she is quite sure he would be delighted.
“I think he'd be happy to know that the name is going to be here, and that all he and mum worked for is going to help others in the community,” McMillan said. “He would give you the shirt off his back, he was that kind of person.”
