|
A Brief History of Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund
by J.R. Digger MacDougall, Founding Chair
SING CANADA HARMONY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
A Charity Registered with the Canada Revenue Agency
Registration Number 85470 3014 RR0001
www.SingCanadaHarmony.ca
The Early Years 1999 to 2007
While serving as Vice Chair of the International Leadership Task Force of the SPEBSQSA (1992-1999), J.R. Digger MacDougall developed the concept of establishing a national, Canada-wide charity to support the SPEBSQSA’s vision and mission. For six years, he researched how to establish and operate a totally Canadian charity structured and organized to mirror Harmony Foundation (which perpetuated Harmony Foundation International, Inc.), the official charity of the SPEBSQSA (which perpetuated the Barbershop Harmony Society).
In 1993, Digger served as Vice Chair of the International Leadership Task Force of the SPEBSQSA (1992-1999) and applied for the position of Executive Director of the SPEBSQSA, in response to a posted career opportunity advertisement. From over 100 applicants he was selected as one of 5 finalists to be interviewed by the Society Board of Directors. Although he was not chosen to succeed Joe Liles in 1995, his identified strengths in leadership, strategic planning, organization and governance, were recognized. A few years later, he was asked to resubmit his resume as a candidate for the Board of Trustees of Harmony Foundation. Digger was elected by the Board of Directors of the SPEBSQSA to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of Harmony Foundation, the official charity (at the time) of the SPEBSQSA (Barbershop Harmony Society). During his tenure of 7 years as a Trustee, Digger contributed to and directed several changes in the organization, structure, vision, mission and purpose to Harmony Foundation. He was one of 3 officers on the Selection Committee that recommended the hiring of Clarke Caldwell as CEO of Harmony Foundation. The hiring of Clarke Caldwell resulted in a wholesale change of the purpose and direction of Harmony Foundation, which was directed to support the Barbershop Harmony Society. Coincidentally with this change was a decision by the Society to move its headquarters from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Nashville, Tennessee. Interestingly enough, the decision to move the headquarters from Kenosha came, following an address by Digger MacDougall to the Society Board of Directors at a meeting in Kenosha, which was called to consider the options recommended. Had it not been for Digger’s intervention, an “Abilene Paradox” would have resulted. The headquarters would have remained in Kenosha.
Further changes were planned, and these provided an opportunity for Digger to resign from the Harmony Foundation Board of Trustees in 2006, allowing the election of the first woman to the Board of Trustees. This also allowed Digger to set up a Canadian charity that was planned to parallel the vision and mission of the Harmony Foundation.
On numerous occasions, the Harmony Foundation CEO and Digger discussed the importance of setting up a Canadian charity for all Canadian Barbershoppers so that Canadian Barbershoppers, like their American counterparts, could financially support a charity that would support the Barbershop Harmony Society’s activities, including training and outreach in Canada while giving Canadians an opportunity to benefit from the generous tax rebates provided by Government of Canada/CRA. Note: Before the establishment of Sing Canada Harmony Scholarship Fund, Canadians couldn’t donate money to a charity (like Harmony Foundation) that:
- supported Barbershop Harmony, the society and its activities particularly for Canadians;
- was headquartered in the United States;
- did not have a Canadian Board of Directors;
- did not allow for Canadians to control and direct the finances of the corporation;
- conducted its business and most of its activities outside Canada; and,
- receive an income tax credit.
There were advantages to creating the Canadian charity so long after the establishment of the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony Foundation, namely:
- the Canadian charity could take advantage of all the lessons learned by the Barbershop Harmony Society and Harmony Foundation throughout their history;
- the Canadian charity could offer support to Canadian Chapters, Choruses and individual Barbershoppers of Harmony, Inc. and Sweet Adeline’s International;
- the Canadian charity could offer support to vocal music and all activities related to vocal music in all the schools and communities of Canada while promoting Barbershop Harmony and the activities of the 3 Barbershop Harmony singing organizations: BHS, HI and SAI;
- The Canadian charity could support the youth and community outreach programs for Canadian youth, children, and choral leaders as well as Canadian Barbershop leaders and members of the 3 singing organizations;
- the Canadian charity would be headquartered in the nation’s capital at Ottawa; Ontario. An office was set up in the residence of Digger MacDougall and maintained therein through moves to Stittsville, Arden, Orleans, Cumberland and Rockland, Ontario. All of these communities are in the National Capital Region.
Next time: The “Sing Canada Fund” of The Community Foundation of Ottawa and more…
|
