Joel Beauchamp-Guay sets an example for young professionals

Photographer: Rodrigo Moreno

"Being active and supporting a strong and vibrant community is part of my life. It's what I stand for." - Joel Beauchamp-Guay, Leadership donor and gennext Ambassador.

Joel Beauchamp-Guay is a long-time supporter of United Way, a founding member of the gennext group at Procter & Gamble, and a Leadership donor ($1000 +). And he's only 31. Community Matters caught up with Joel before his well-earned vacation to talk about his work with United Way, and gennext in particular.

The following interview was featured in United Way Toronto's quarterly newsletter, Community Matters: June 2010.

CM – How did you get involved with gennext?

JB – I started hearing about the gennext program through Tim Penner, our president and United Way Campaign Chair (2007). The first thing that impressed me when I joined gennext was how much so many other young people were motivated by making a difference in the community. That goes for both gennext members and United Way employees. When you collaborate with these kinds of people, it doesn't feel like effort, it feels natural. Everybody seems to raise the bar.

CM – Why did you choose to become a Leadership donor?

JB – My wife Nicole and I decided that it made sense to increase our donation to reach the Leadership level, as we're both fortunate in having relatively secure jobs. My colleague, Martin Kearns, who was running our canvassing campaign, also made it easy for me to understand that with the tax deduction, the company co-match and the challenge grant for new leaders, my net $561 would become $3,000 for United Way Toronto. As my main field of work is in Procter & Gamble sales, I know how to recognize a good deal.

CM – How have you grown personally through your experience at gennext?

JB – I must say that I first got involved in United Way and later gennext because it was really fun. It's only through my first participation in Days of Caring at the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre, and working with seniors there, that I started reali-sing how much it's important to build a community that supports and respects each other. The fun continued to be fun, but there was also purpose in it. Being active and supporting a strong and vibrant community is part of my life. It's what I stand for.

CM – Tell us a story from your work with gennext that really had an impact on you?

JB – One of our United Way events at Procter & Gamble was an old school hip hop fundraiser. To help with the ambiance, I wanted art tailor-made for the event. United Way put me in contact with an agency that channels the creativity of youth through organized graffiti art. I met a very impressive 15-year old guy, Colanthony Humphrey, who accepted the challenge and designed an amazing graff just in time for our event. I've still got the graff in my cube at the office.

CM – Why is philanthropy important to you?

JB – That's a big word, isn't it? I would call it leadership in society building instead—supporting one another, enabling big or little community ideas. Some people have very good ideas and the energy to do it, some others have resources to make it happen. Philanthropy puts those people together and it helps build a stronger society.

Joel Beauchamp-Guay sets an example for young professionals was feature interview in our quarterly newsletter, Community Matters: June 2010.