Janice Green is a founding board member of the Foundation, and its second board chair. She grew up in southern Ontario, going on to graduate from the University of Guelph, and McMaster University (MBA). Then she lived in Winnipeg and Arizona before finally settling in Peterborough in 1990 with her husband and children.
Not knowing anyone in Peterborough, and with three young children underfoot, Janice started volunteering on student councils and several other boards as a way to get involved and meet people in her new community.
Janice answered the call for interested community members to join the newly constituted Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough. “I was really excited,” Janice said, “by the idea of being part of something that took on the broader picture of our community rather than being focused on one area; especially something with a long-term perspective.”
In terms of recommending the Foundation to anyone interested in becoming involved with its work, Janice said, “the relationships the Foundation has with all aspects of the community gives you a good sense of what’s going on in Peterborough. Being on the board gives you a whole range of information about small grass roots organizations to the bigger, more established charities.”
Being an integral part of the Foundation’s growth and seeing it begin to reach its potential as a force for good in the community kept Janice on the board for close to nine years. “I was so inspired by the successes of the Foundation,” she said, “especially whenever we were able to establish a relationship with a local organization that needed support. We were also recognized early on by Community Foundations of Canada for our forward-thinking, innovative work.”
When asked what she would say to anyone interested in donating to the Community Foundation, Janice said, “the Foundation gives you the resources you need as a donor to help your philanthropic giving make an impact. The scope of organizations that benefit from the Foundation’s work – I don’t think there’s anything else that compares.