ONFE Board Spotlight: Ian Shabinsky

“I chose to get involved with ONFE because nothing is more important to me than giving back to the children in our community.”
We’ve been so lucky to work with Ian Shabinsky as an ONFE Board Member for the past 6 years. Ian is an important Ottawa community member. He’s the Principal of a local real estate development and management company, and is involved in several family-owned businesses, one being the Ottawa Athletic Club.
“I often tell others about the number of great programs ONFE offers in Ottawa. Making sure our young students have a healthy breakfast in the morning and then providing them with the proper programs are paramount to the future success of our city. I am particularly interested in the School Breakfast Program and project step, the substance abuse program.”
When we asked Ian why it was important to him to give back to the community, he said, “Both of my parents were very involved as volunteers when I was young. Nowadays, my wife, brother and I are all very involved philanthropically throughout the community.”
“We feel it our responsibility as civic leaders to give back, and for our children to learn from our efforts.”
This month we are saying farewell to Ian as a Board Member, as his term is coming to an end. We are grateful for all he has done for us and we’re looking forward to seeing the great things he does next.