Who: Harry Mews, president, and Rob Mews, vice-president, Myers Automotive Group
The donation: $2.5 million
The recipient: The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
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Zaahra Mehsen was three years into a biology degree at a local university when she realized she wanted to take a different path. “I realized that it’s not my thing,”
The inspiration: “We decided to share our philanthropy. We chose not to be anonymous about the donation to The Ottawa Hospital. We felt it was important to make a statement about how hospitals work and create awareness about the importance of the campaign. We think it is key for businesses to support health care in our growing city,” says Harry Mews, president, Myers Automotive Group.
The Myers Automotive Group is a household name in the Ottawa community due to the number of vehicles it has sold and serviced over many decades in the capital. The Mews family, which stands behind the Myers brand, is also known for philanthropy. The family stepped up in a big way recently for The Ottawa Hospital Foundation to the tune of $2.5 million.
The largest philanthropic donation by the Myers Automotive Group to date is directed to The Campaign to Create Tomorrow. The initiative will fund the new Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital being built near Dow’s Lake and raise vital dollars for world-leading research. The goal of the campaign is $500 million and to date $310 million has been raised, or 62 per cent of the target amount.
“We have only been able to grow our business in Ottawa because of the community and we appreciate them. This donation is a way of showing how appreciative we are for the support. The city is growing, and we want to support this growth,” says Rob Mews, vice-president of Myers Automotive Group.
The Mews brothers, Rob and Harry, were taught by their parents about business and philanthropy. Hank and Phyllis Mews were married for 61 years, until Hank passed away in 2022.
“Roger Greenberg, the chair for the fundraising campaign, is doing an excellent job of explaining how the hospital is being built and that we all need to get involved to ensure we have the equipment needed for a new hospital,” says Harry Mews. “Without equipment, we have nothing.”
Harry, a father of four sons, is fully aware that a world-class hospital attracts big business and talent to the city.
“I cannot think of a better place to donate. The new Ottawa Hospital campus will add to our high standard of living and the place we all thrive,” he adds.
