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May 10, 2013
Celebrating an extraordinary life
Charitable proceeds from the June 4 event honoring Joe Segal benefit Coast Mental Health.
RANDALL MANG
If you’ve been waiting for Joe Segal’s retirement party, don’t hold your breath. At 88 years old, the renowned Vancouver businessman and philanthropist is showing no signs of slowing down. But that doesn’t mean Vancouverites have to wait much longer to celebrate Segal’s life and achievements.
On June 4, Segal’s remarkable story will be the focus of Joe Segal, An Extraordinary Life – a Vancouver Board of Trade gala being held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Proceeds from the evening will benefit Coast Mental Health, a charity close to Segal’s heart.
According to Vancouver Board of Trade director, gala chair and Joe’s son, Lorne Segal, a gala “unlike any other this city has seen” is in the making and promises to be “entertaining, insightful and emotional, a moving tribute to a man who has achieved so much, and given so much.”
Joe Segal’s story is colorful. His early years included bouts of financial hardship, work on the Alaska Highway and service in the Second World War, during which he contributed to the liberation of the Netherlands. After his return to Canada, Segal’s entrepreneurial pursuits saw him peddle just about any legitimate goods he could buy and sell profitably. Eventually, the retailer wunderkind founded Fields department stores, sparking a rise that ultimately grew into Segal’s multifaceted business empire, which at one time included his major share ownership of Zellers and Canada’s oldest enterprise, the Hudson’s Bay Co.
Despite his ascent to society’s uppermost echelons, approachability remains one of Segal’s enduring qualities. His willingness to freely share his experiences and insights with others is often seen at Four Seasons Vancouver, where Segal has lunched regularly for more than three decades.
A recipient both of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia, as well as the Freedom of the City award – City of Vancouver’s highest honor – Segal is a towering figure in both business and philanthropy. “Perhaps the only thing more impressive than his resumé is his reputation as one of the most noble and generous entrepreneurs our community has ever seen,” said Vancouver Board of Trade chair Ken Martin.
Lorne Segal echoes the sentiment. “I never tire of telling people that my father taught me much more than ‘what to do’; he taught me ‘the way to do it’ – that fair play and a sense of responsibility make up the foundation of a meaningful life, and that, in and of itself, money will not give us the feeling we are all looking for; it is what we do with it that counts.”
In 2002, Joe Segal made one of his most visible contributions to Vancouver when he donated a piece of prime real estate – the historic Bank of Montreal building at 750 Hastings St. – to Simon Fraser University, creating a home for the subsequently named Segal Graduate School of Business.
In 2010, he and his wife Rosalie gave $12 million to the Vancouver General Hospital and University of British Columbia Hospital Foundation to create the Joseph and Rosalie Segal Family Health Centre, a 100-private-room acute care centre serving the mental health needs of people in crisis.
That substantial gift reflects the Segal family’s visionary backing of this previously stigmatized health concern and underserved community need.
In fact, the family’s awareness of public mental health concerns, including funding shortfalls, was sparked 15 years ago when the Segals first attended Coast’s Courage to Come Back Awards, which recognize people who have overcome significant life challenges. The family has contributed to mental health causes ever since.
The decision to support Coast Mental Health through the Extraordinary Life gala underscores the family’s conviction that addressing mental health concerns requires a holistic approach to care.
“Coast Mental Health is honored to have been chosen to benefit from this amazing evening. The Segals have done more than any other family in our country to personally support individuals with mental illness,” said Britt Andersen, chief executive officer of Coast Mental Health Foundation. “Their philanthropy has strengthened British Columbia by opening doors for greater understanding and acceptance of people with mental illness.”
Unlike the VGH facility bearing Joe and Rosalie’s name, which offers acute care to in-patients, Coast Mental Health provides individuals with community-based housing and services – essential ingredients for recovery that range from supportive housing and family reintegration to education and help finding work.
“To fully recover, people who transition out of an acute mental health care facility – especially those who also face ongoing challenges such as unemployment and homelessness – need assistance that extends into their homes and work lives. That’s where Coast comes in,” said Andersen.
Support for the Joe Segal gala is already building with a host of individuals and companies stepping up with sponsorship support for this celebration of a deserving individual and worthy charity.
Tickets for the Joe Segal, An Extraordinary Life gala benefiting Coast Mental Health are available at boardoftrade.com/Joe.Segal.Gala.
Randall Mang is a Vancouver-based communications consultant and freelance writer. His company, Randall Anthony Communications, is Canada’s largest supplier of special features to the Globe & Mail.
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