Shmuel Farhi held his grandson proudly in his arms while presenting a $750,000 cheque to the London Children’s Museum.
He said it’s children like his grandson that make him want to invest in the community and its future generations. On Thursday, Farhi was joined by members of his family and staff members from the Children’s Museum to announce Farhi Holdings Corporation's sizable donation to the facility.
“What’s wonderful with a donation like this is it’s truly just funding our operation. So it just allows us to do what we do every day, keep the doors open, and to keep our admission prices as low as we can so we can stay accessible to the community,” said Kate Ledgley, the executive director at the London Children’s Museum.
This contribution will help keep the current establishment up-and-running while construction continues at the new location on Kellogg Lane, which will offer 35,000 square feet open-floor plan, more parking, and improved accessibility for guests.
“It was very important for me, because I know they’re spending millions of dollars on new facilities. Coming into the holidays, I thought it’s going to be nice to help them out and boost and assist them to reach the goal,” Farhi shared.
“We’ve always known that the Children’s Museum is an integral part of this community, but during the pandemic children were hit pretty hard and we know that this is not a ‘nice to have’ in the community, it is a must have,” Ledgley said. “The Children’s Museum helps children develop, grow, and it will help them process what’s happened during the last couple of years.”
Farhi said that this donation is the family’s latest initiative in 35 years worth of philanthropy across the city of London. He has a history of improving community attractions for kids. In 2008, he helped build the Farhi Family Pool at the YMCA on Sunningdale Road and Adelaide Street.
“The whole idea of helping the Children’s Museum was to look at the future, and the future is our kids. And what better place to put money than a future for our children,” said Farhi.
