It Feels Good to Give
How One Man Came To Canada With Nothing, Thrived And Is Now Helping Others o’clock. They pushed me back and forth between people. But I said to myself I’m not going home without it.” With his card he started work, first finding odd jobs before focusing on gaining a skill trade. In his case, it was brick laying. From there Viecelli built up a strong team and was able to put an entire house up in a month. His business grew and he built more and more houses in Windsor-Essex. The money started to come in. He was thriving, his family was supported, but something was still missing. He figured it out one day when he was driving down the road. “I was working in Sarnia and driving when I saw a woman in a wheelchair,” Viecelli says with softness in his eye at the memory, “I said once I retire, I’m gonna take all the old people with my car to the doctor’s or the grocery store to do this and that.” When he got old he realized driving every single person in need would not work, but there was another option, philanthropy. “I have enough money and now I want to help the people,” he says with a smile, “That’s the best thing to do. The best gift that will make me happy is when someone calls me and tells me they only had to go to the hospital once instead of three times because of what my donation did.” John had previously donated $250,000 to Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation and another $200,000 to Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare to help construct a rehabilitation centre. But while Viecelli has retired from his regular job it has not stopped him from working to help others who need it. “If you have a garage to do, I’ll do it for you as long as you give me a hand and you don’t sit there drinking a beer,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll do it, I’ll help. But if you pay me I won’t do it.” IT TAKES TENACITY, grit and gumption to come to a new country with practically nothing and build up a life for yourself and your family. But it takes love, compassion and warmth of soul to take your earnings and turn around to give back to the community which helped you grow to be the best version of yourself. John Viecelli is one of those people.
He says he does not want to be paid, he has enough and now he wants to give back to the community and country that helped me. He wants to be remembered for the work he did to help, not the money he earned to get there. “I want to be remembered as a dedicated family man,” Viecelli says. “My life’s lesson would be to dream big and don’t be afraid. Any dream can be achieved.”
Despite being 90 years old, John still has the bright eyes and sense of joy and humour of the 17-year-old boy that came with his family from Italy all those years ago. Viecelli faced adversity at nearly every step of the way. When he came to Canada, he was poor and could not even speak English. Facing adversity as an Italian immigrant in the late 40s with no real government assistance he had to fight tooth and nail to find his place in society. “I went by myself to get my green card and employment insurance,” Viecelli says. “I was there at eight o’clock in the morning. I got out at four
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