In her early twenties, Carolyn Taylor and her mother joined the crowd of thousands on Parliament Hill to witness the raising of the new Canadian flag in 1965. Born in Winnipeg, but calling Ottawa home, she believed in the promise of Canada as a welcoming place for immigrants. Carolyn was one of the first women to graduate in the new field of Computer Science in 1973 and spent the next 20 years working in Ottawa’s high tech sector. But in the 1990s, she decided to follow her heart and pursued training to teach English as a second language, starting with families of foreign students. Later on, Carolyn helped newcomers in their settlement by volunteering for a charity dedicated to providing furniture and household items to refugees. These experiences shaped who she was as a person. But what also defined her and permeated all aspects of her everyday life was her love of music in all forms. While she was never a professional musician, she understood the power of music as a source of life-affirming joy.
It was when that life was tragically shortened following a two year battle with cancer in 2015, that her husband Roger Peters, himself an immigrant, envisioned a fitting tribute to honour her memory.
“Our sons and I put our heads together and came up with a plan to find a way to support the things that Carolyn loved and believed in,” he notes. The family established the Carolyn Taylor Community Music Fund at the Community Foundation of Ottawa with Roger as its main advisor. He was familiar with the Foundation through a staff member, as well as the organizations that he and Carolyn worked and volunteered with. “I really liked the fact that you could choose to be as hands-on as you want with a fund there. The flexibility they offer is very attractive.”
Finding inspiration in Carolyn’s belief that music could enrich the lives of people from all walks of life, the fund supports local programs and initiatives that offer the opportunity to experience music for those who may otherwise be unable to. Drawing on her work with refugees, it also seeks to extend that opportunity to newcomers to Canada, with hopes of bridging cultural divides through a shared passion for music.
The fund has already made an impact, granting to several organizations whose missions are in harmony with the spirit of the fund. Wholeheartedly invested in being a part of the granting process, Roger worked with staff at the Community Foundation to seek out, evaluate and ultimately support suitable proposals. He remarked, “The most rewarding experience so far has been in the beginning, going to meet the potential grant recipients, and finding out what their needs were and realizing that a little money could go a long way.”
This investment helped launch a city-wide community music program, serving a diverse population of at-risk youth as part of the Ottawa Coalition of Community Houses’ broader After School Program. It provided support for Building Bridges with Music, a program of Ottawa Suzuki Strings aiming to bring children of all backgrounds together to experience classical string music. It even funded the purchase of t-shirts for the members of the One World Choir, made up of immigrants and organized by World Folk Music Ottawa, who believed the simplest of costumes could help instil a sense of pride among the performers.
Children from Charles H. Hulse Elementary School Choir Performing at Annual Holiday Concert
And, in late December of 2016, Roger was among the crowd of teachers, children and parents at the annual holiday concert at Charles H. Hulse Elementary School, located in the diverse Alta Vista neighbourhood of Ottawa. “Carolyn always remarked on how richly multicultural the choirs at Ottawa schools were.” Bringing that memory to life, support from the Carolyn Taylor Community Music Fund allowed the choir at the school to continue its program for the 2016/2017 season, highlighted by a two song performance by the group that day. Roger realized the need when he first visited the school with a Foundation staff member. He noted, “When we met with them it was apparent they needed more resources to succeed.” The grant provided for the choir director to oversee rehearsals and performances, as well as other enriching activities. “I saw how hard the teachers worked to run the program so I’m glad we were able to fulfill the goals we had.”
Like many others under the care of the Community Foundation, Carolyn’s fund will continue to honour her memory by supporting the causes she felt so strongly about. Roger refers to it as a “living fund”—one which will endure and grow through the support of others and continue to make an impact in the community for years to come.