• info@maycourt.ca

Our History of Giving

The May Court Club of Oakville is part of The Association of May Court Clubs of Canada, the first service club in Canada and founded in 1898 on the eve of May Day in Ottawa, Ontario. May Court’s founder, Lady Isabel Aberdeen, the wife of Canada’s then Governor General, was a truly extraordinary woman. Lady Aberdeen had strong ideas about the role of women in society. More importantly she put her ideas into action. She was the founder of the Council of Women and the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON). To support these endeavours, she then founded a women’s service club, The May Court Club.

Over a century later, May Court Clubs have grown to more than 1,500 volunteer women located in nine Ontario cities driven by the same spirit and passion for making a difference in the communities they serve.

Our Community Support & Impact

Below are some of our many  accomplishments. We are proud of our almost-70 years of service to the Oakville & Halton community and look forward to many years of service ahead.

1950’s
  • The Nearly New Shop opens! (1957)
1960’s
  • May Court awarded its first Educational Scholarship. Over $ 1.2 million dollars in Scholarships have been awarded since inception (1962)
  • Oakville branch of the Canadian Arthritis & Rheumatism Society formed with a $5000 donation from May Court. (1962)
  • The Oakville Adult Training Centre opened with financial and volunteer assistance from May Court. (1965)
  • May Court established the first Day Care Centre in Oakville.  “The May Court Day Nursery”. (1967)
1970’s
  • The May Court Club of Oakville’s Audio (1972) & Visual (1973) Screening Programs for pre-school children was initiated.
  • Carey House, a home for physically challenged adults, opens with $75,000 seed monies from May Court. (1975)
1980’s
  • Our Puppeteer Program was born, educating children about water safety in conjunction with The Oakville Red Cross Society (1980)
  • May Court initiates CPR Courses to the community. (1982)
  • Our “Festival of Trees Fundraiser” raised over $250,000.00 for the VON Hospice Program in its 20 year run.
1990’s
  • May Court donates $20,000 to Halton Adolescent Support Services, helping to fund its 9-bedroom residence “Aberdeen House”. (1991)
  • Our Lunch Box Program began providing nutritious snacks to two elementary schools in the Halton Region. Today the program now supports over 25 schools. (1991)
  • May Court provided $50,000 seed funding to The Miriam Child and Family Group – for children infected & affected with HIV/AIDs and their families. (1995)
2000’s
  • May Court donates $50,000 to Home Suite Hope Shared Living Corporation to establish a transitional housing program. (2007)
  • May Court donates $50, 000 to Home Suite Hope Shared Living Corporation to purchase a home for Oakville’s homeless. (2007)
  • May Court donates $50,000 to Wellspring’s Paediatric Oncology Program. (2010)
  • May Court donates $50,000 to Halton Down Syndrome Association. (2011)
  • May Court donates $100,000 to for the Art Therapy Room at the new Wellspring Birmingham Gilgan House. (2011)
  • May Court pledges $100,000 to the new Oakville Trafalgar Hospital in support of the mammography & child adolescent mental health units. (2015)