Ambassadors

Ambassadors are former board members or high profile community-minded residents of Grey or Bruce Counties or First Nations territories who will support the goals of the Foundation by bringing information into their area or circle, spreading the message in a personal way and providing a “door-opening” contact. Ambassadors should represent the diversity of the community in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and professional background.  Written materials and training will be provided, so that each Ambassador has a basic knowledge of the Foundation and its role in the community. From time to time, resource materials and tool kits will be provided to assist in promoting and advocating for the Foundation in their locale. 

The goal for the program is to have a representative from each of the 17 local municipalities and 2 First Nations territories.  There will be a cap of 60 active Ambassadors.  

Strategic Focus and Direction:

1) Building a networking capability and outreach throughout Grey and Bruce.

2) Increasing visibility of the Foundation in the communities across Grey & Bruce.

3) To make a “door-opening” contact (phone or face-to-face) in their communities, introducing the Community Foundation Grey Bruce concept and arrange a meeting with Foundation representatives.

4) Identify prospective donors to Communty Foundation Grey Bruce with the financial capacity and a demonstrated desire to give.

5) Recruit additional Ambassadors as needed.

Ambassador Spotlight - John Harrison 

On May 15, 2026, our community lost a great friend, a visionary volunteer who made our region a better place.  John Arthur Harrison was a supporter and champion of Community Foundation Grey Bruce and we will all miss his visits and great conversations. 

Some background on John from his obituary in the Sun Times notes that he attended Dufferin Public School and the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Following graduation, he enrolled at the University of Toronto where he studied architecture and enjoyed the cultural scene. He was a local champion of cultural heritage and the arts in Owen Sound, eventually serving as President of the Grey-Bruce Arts Council. During this period he made several contributions, including the co-founding of Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival. His creation of Tempo Foundation celebrated local icons Billy Bishop, Norman Bethune, and Agnes MacPhail. Outside of the local area, his most prominent project was in a key role on the design team of Science North in Sudbury. He was given the Heritage Canada Achievement award for his work in establishing Community Heritage Ontario and served as its founding President.

In Allen Smutylo’s latest book called “Gold of Another Kind” he wrote about John Harrison: “John was an astute architectural designer, a committed cultural planner and implementer, as well as being a passionate voice in heritage preservation.  John was also a romantic, an intellectual, a dreamer and a gentleman.  In some ways, he was from another time, like a scientist or explorer or philosopher in the bygone Age of Discovery.  He tackled a host of ventures and projects with vision and idealism.  Some were successful, some weren't, but regardless he would never succumb to a defeatist point of view.  Sometimes I suspected he lived by the motto: If you don't recognize failure, you can never fail."

All of us at Community Foundation Grey Bruce offer our condolences to John’s wife, Helen and their sons and families.  John leaves an indelible mark on our community and he will be greatly missed.