GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY
Partridge Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities is a major believer in giving back to the community, as evidenced by their long history of volunteer work in Niagara. Peter’s mother’s family was a 4-generation business owner in St. Catharines and were tremendous supporters, volunteers and leaders in the community. Peter’s parents (Peter Sr. and Janet) instilled in him the need to give back to the community and he has done so since returning to Niagara from university. Peter and his family are so proud to call Niagara home and we do our very best to get involved to help make our community a better place. Here are some of the organizations we support.
First Ontario Performing Arts Centre
Peter is a Board Member of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre whose mandate is to promote, develop and encourage the performing arts in St. Catharines. Peter’s parents were lifelong musicians and have had a long history of supporting the performing arts. Peter Sr. and his wife Janet made a transformative donation of $1,000,000 in April 2013 to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. The largest of the 4 venues inside the centre was named Partridge Hall in honour of the generous gift. Peter Sr. was the fundraising chair for the centre’s $5-million public campaign, a component of the total $65-million campaign. Under his leadership the public campaign was able to raise $7.5 million for the PAC. Peter is pleased to carry on the leadership from his father within the arts and cultural sector in Niagara. Although not musicians themselves, Peter and his wife Poppy love supporting the various events at the PAC.
United Way Niagara
From 2009 to 2020 Peter was extremely active with the United Way. He was Chair of the Board of Directors of the United Way of St. Catharines and District from April 2016 to June 2018. He was an integral component of the committee that oversaw the organization through the successful amalgamation of the three United Way organizations in Niagara, and he was then selected as the inaugural chair of United Way Niagara for the first two years of this new organization. Peter also has chaired Major Giving for the annual United Way Campaign from 2011 to 2020, he was on the Campaign Cabinet from 2009 to 2020, and he and his wife, Poppy, are former co-chairs of Leadership Giving.
Niagara Community Foundation
Peter has been a member of the St. Catharines Community Fund since its inception in 2002 and has been its Chair since 2005. The St. Catharines Community Fund is part of the Niagara Community Foundation, which raises permanently endowed funds to benefit citizens of St. Catharines. When Peter got married in 2005, he and his wife Poppy established the Partridge Gilliam Family Fund through the Niagara Community Foundation. This fund benefits various local children’s charities as selected by Peter and Poppy each year.
From 2016 to 2018, Peter was also the co-chair, with the Mayor, of the Annual Mayor’s Au Marche that took place in August each summer (from 2004 to 2018). The event raised more than $500,000 for the Niagara Community Foundation’s Investing in Youth Fund, which provided opportunities for over 3,000 youth. These children received financial assistance in order to participate in sports, recreation or cultural programs in St. Catharines.
Peter also chairs the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame, he sits on the committee for the St. Catharines Athlete and Sportsperson of the Year, and he was on the committee that successfully landed the 2022 Canada Summer Games for Niagara.
Sir Winston Churchill Football Team
Peter was a volunteer coach at his alma mater, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, from 1999 – 2013. During that time the team won 4 championships and more than 20 of his former players went on to play football at the university level. Peter also chaired the annual SWC Bulldog Football Alumni Golf Tournament that raised funds for the program for five years and he chaired the fundraising initiative to raise $37,000 for a large scoreboard for the field in 2009. Peter arranged for the Commissioner of the CFL, Mark Cohon, to attend the opening of the scoreboard as well as many local dignitaries, former coaches, former players, parents and friends of the program.
Brock University
Peter and his family have been very strong supporters of Brock University for many years. Peter and his father were ardent supporters of Brock Athletics and were devout fans of the Men’s Basketball Program. In 2016 the men’s basketball team locker room was renamed the Partridge Family Locker Room after a contribution by Peter and his dad which allowed it to be completely renovated. Peter’s family support of Brock goes back to when the University opened in 1964. Peter Sr. was asked by Brock's First President to conduct a group of students who were interested in forming a choir to sing at a couple of Christmas concerts. The "Brockenspiels" were born. Peter Sr. was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2004, served a 6 year term and was granted Trustee Emeritus in 2015. Peter Sr. and his wife Janet established the Peter and Janet Partridge Scholarship for assisting student athletes. The family's philanthropy towards Brock continued with a contribution to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts and the naming of the Partridge Family Music Suite.
University of Guelph
Peter was active in helping to establish a major endowment fund for the University of Guelph Football Program. He has funded an annual scholarship for an incoming or in-course member of the Gryphon Football team, and he sat (and chaired) the Gryphon Football Cabinet from 2019 to 2022.
