Mervin Schneider

Guild of Friend

Mervin (Merv) Schneider discovered his passion for volunteering once he retired from the taxi business after 26 years. 

Merv recalls the early days of his retirement, “During my first year of retirement I wasn’t busy. One afternoon I received a call from the Kidney Foundation asking me to help with door-to-door canvassing. I thought, I’m not doing anything I might as well give it a try, and I discovered that I liked it.” 

He has since volunteered with the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Canada, Alzheimer’s Association, The Lung Association, Salvation Army, and MS Society. It has given him great joy to hand in the thousands of dollars he has raised for them all! 

Merv first got hooked on philanthropy in the 70’s. “I was working and I discovered that by making charitable donations, I could also decrease my income tax. I started a routine of making donations. I included the hospitals on my list right off the bat. When I updated my will last summer, I put the hospitals at the top of the list. It was also important to me to support the new Cathedral, my local church and about 20 other charities.” 

When asked about the process of updating his will, Merv says, “It was an easy process. I thought about who I wanted to put down in my will for about a month or two. I made a list of charities I wanted to include to divide my estate. It wasn’t hard. And then, I went in to see my lawyer.” 

Due to the restrictions of COVID-19, Merv has spent the last few months working on his yard and organizing his home of over 50 years. He is still actively involved with many local charities, including his church, and the Knights of Columbus. When the volunteering restrictions lift, he is eager to get back in his car to deliver Meals on Wheels, which he has done since 2005. 

Thank you Merv for naming our Royal University Hospital Foundation as one of the recipients of your estate. We are honoured to have you as our newest Guild of Friend donor.