Wendy Rinella comes from a family of leaders. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Rinella moved to Ontario for university and, after graduating, worked in government relations while being an active member of local organizations. Now, as the CEO of Oakville Community Foundation (OCF), Rinella encourages young girls and women to never back down.
Having studied political science at the University of Waterloo and earning a Master of Arts in political studies at Queen’s University, Rinella spent ten years working for the Government of Ontario. She then moved on to First Canadian Title (FCT), a title insurance and real estate company, to set up government relations and corporate affairs. It was around this time she became engaged with Halton Learning Foundation and Oakville Chamber of Commerce, and in 2015, she accepted the position of CEO at OCF.
“I liked doing all my community work and thought it would be a great way to expand my community focus,” Rinella says.
For nearly six years, Rinella has led OCF, which is one of 191 community foundations in Canada. The Oakville chapter is the tenth largest community foundation. The oldest chapter of the organization is in Rinella’s hometown of Winnipeg.
“There’s a saying that if you’ve seen one [community foundation], you’ve seen one. Each foundation reflects their communities,” Rinella says. “We provide infrastructure that supports charities in the local community. We also create a pool for other charities to invest with us.”
The OCF team is made up of certified accounts and credible investment managers, with $113 million in assets under management. Approximately $40 million is from a variety of charities, including hospitals as well as Lions Foundation of Dog Guides in Canada, while remaining funds come from families and corporations in the Oakville community. In 2020, OCF contributed $5.6 million to the Oakville community.
“We’re 360-degree granter, which means we support everything. Heritage, hospitals, education scholarships, art, and more,” Rinella says. “In 2017, we did research on the greatest needs in our community. This research identified that when people engage in arts and culture, even as an audience member, they feel like a stronger member of their community.”
When Rinella started at OCF, her daughter was in grade three, and Rinella was worried that her school wasn’t visiting local art galleries and other educational sites on school trips. As a result, Rinella helped OCF broaden its Community Classroom, which has increased the scope of children’s education about the Oakville community.
“We transitioned a lot of our programs online and the system has been blowing up, most recently with the programs dedicated to Black History Month,” says Rinella, adding that OCF was prepared for the shift to virtual learning before the impact of COVID-19.
Since Rinella has been leading OCF, the organization has become scalable while reducing costs. One example of this is the Community Education Awards Hub, which allows community members and corporations to support education scholarships sponsored by Oakville’s local organizations.
“In 2016, we’d have 110 donations coming in by cheque,” Rinella says. “Now, we can easily get 110 donations in one day.”
Homeward Bound Halton’s Home Suite Hope charity is another local initiative that OCF supports, which provides homeless or struggling single mothers with a furnished apartment for up to four years, free daycare for their children, as well as internship opportunities and job placements. Rinella says this program has an 83 percent success rate.
In reflecting on this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8, Rinella encourages young girls and women to make sure their voices are heard in and out of the office.
“When you’re sitting around a meeting table or boardroom and a man speaks over you, keep talking and don’t back down. It still continues to happen to me,” Rinella says.
Aside from corporate challenges, Rinella lives with Type 1 Diabetes, which she has learned to manage alongside a demanding career.
“I feel married to the foundation in a lot of respects, but we all have to take care of our health if we want to be successful and good contributors to the community,” Rinella says. “Those were things I had to manage in addition to trying to have a child. I chose to adopt and now I have a beautiful daughter.”
In 2021, Rinella received the Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club, of which her father has been a member for 55 years and has received two Paul Harris Awards.
“It’s a good feeling to know that you have that recognition, that you’re following in your family’s footsteps,” Rinella says. “Don’t ever disqualify yourself.”