Vincent Meredith - Philanthrophy

Philanthrophy

Sir Vincent Meredith was a generous philanthropist. A founding member of the Canadian Mental Health Association he served on its Board of Directors and was one of its chief benefactors. In 1909 he gave the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal (where he solely sponsored an annual ball for the nurses) an automobile, Canada's first motor ambulance, but as with all his gifts and donations, refused to allow anything of it to be mentioned in the papers. It was also his idea to bring the famous neuro-surgeon Wilder Penfield to the Royal Victoria Hospital. At the Bank of Montreal he introduced the 'Sir Vincent Meredith Fund', which was set up for the female employees of the Bank to relieve them in a financial crisis, which is still in operation today. In his will he left just under six hundred thousand dollars to be shared between the Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University and Bishop's University, Lennoxville. It was said that Sir Vincent took every opportunity to relieve suffering in Montreal and advance that city.

As well as giving financial backing and donations from his own art collection to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, he also donated a set of four Louis Comfort Tiffany windows to the Museum's new building. In sports, he donated the 'Sir Vincent Meredith Trophy' awarded to the best all-round athlete of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, as well as giving the Meredith Cup for the Waltzing Competition held at the Winter Club, and the Meredith Trophy awarded at the Dominion Drama Festival.