Paying it forward raises $500,000 for local youth
Gala honours notable locals for raising funds for today’s youth
When Kevin Figsby packed his bags to leave Pointe-St-Charles, he began a journey most children from the working class enclave would never know.
“The Point” had always been a hardscrabble place, but by the late 1970s — after massive layoffs at the Northern Electric factory and Redpath sugar refinery — it had become one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada. The Irish neighbourhood was notorious for its association with the West End Gang, and known more for producing brawlers, boxers and tough-asnails rail workers than scholars.
So it was a rare thing for someone like Figsby, in 1979, to leave town and attend Bishop’s University in Lennoxville. When it happened, the community rallied around Figsby and another young man from The Point.
“The parish priest, Father Willard, gave us both $150 and he said: ‘Here, here’s something to help you on that road,’” said Figsby, now the director of Hockey Program Delivery at Hockey Canada. “I said to him: ‘How can I repay that?’ And he said: ‘If you ever get the chance to help another kid, do it.’”
After helping raise more than $500,000 toward scholarships and programs for Pointe-St-Charles youth, it’s fair to say Figsby held up his end of the bargain.
On Saturday, Figsby joined about 500 people at the PointeSt-Charles YMCA for the 13th annual Hall of Recognition ceremony, which honours notable locals and awards scholarships to about 20 youth who live in the area.
The ceremony began, almost by chance, when Figsby heard about plans to close The Point’s YMCA in 2003. After meeting with the YMCA’s director, Figsby devised a way to help save the social programs it promoted while honouring the people who organized youth sports when he was a boy in the south Montreal neighbourhood.
The plan was to organize an event in 18 months and award two scholarships in memory of Robert O’Donell, an aspiring young athlete who drowned in a boating incident, and Sharron Pryor — a 16-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Pointe-St-Charles 41 years ago.
In the end, they had a fundraising gala ready in only four months and the modest goal of awarding two scholarships a year has been eclipsed.
The organization pays out about $24,000 a year in awards that go toward tuition for high-achieving youth.
“There’s an incredible sense of solidarity in The Point,” said Craig Sauvé, who represents Pointe-StCharles on Montreal’s city council. “People look after each other and that’s what you see here.”
Fraser Munden has deep roots in The Point. His family settled in the area about 100 years ago, building a brick house on Bourgeoys St. near the Grand Trunk Railroad. He won a scholarship from the Hall of Recognition five years ago while studying communications at Concordia University.
Now, Munden is a filmmaker whose animated short Chaperone 3D won prizes at the Toronto Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival and Fantastic Fest in 2014.
“It’s a bit of a cliché to say, but this ceremony fosters a sense of community,” says Munden, whose family still lives in the house near the train tracks. “No matter where I go, when people ask me where I’m from I don’t say Montreal, I say Pointe-St-Charles, Canada.
“It’s a little nucleus unto itself, there’s a distinct twang, little turns of phrases and things that hearken back to a different time. There’s a peculiar sense of identity and a sense of pride that’s unique. This ceremony is definitely a part of that.”
Figsby says former scholarship recipients have gone on to law school, they’ve become doctors, and have also learned trades such as auto mechanics.
“Whatever someone’s dream is, we want to help give them that push, to help them aspire to something,” Figsby said.
The event also helps support after-school programs at the YMCA, Saint Columba House and Share the Warmth, and funds the Aces youth football team.
On Saturday, the hall honoured Bobby and Barry Ross — two local entrepreneurs and philanthropists — among others.
“I played bantam hockey for Bobby and delivered the Sunday Express with Barry,” Figsby said. “You see people, at these things, that you haven’t seen in 30 years. It says a lot about the community.”