Donor Spotlight: Local family donates $100K to Niagara Children’s Centre

Joseph Albert Adelstein plaque unveiled at Glenridge location

Be kind to others. It’s a motto that has been passed down in the Adelstein family for generations.

Earlier this year, three generations of the family gathered at Niagara Children’s Centre on Glenridge Ave. to carry on that sentiment as they paid tribute to their father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Joseph Albert Adelstein.

The beloved family member passed away on January 5, 2021, at the age of 90. Since then, the family has been looking for ways that they could honour his memory.

His son, Brian, was inspired by an interaction with Niagara Children’s Centre that he had many years ago. During the Centre’s capital campaign expansion in 1996, a request was published for a donation of steel. His father, who ran a scrap metal business on Welland Ave. in St. Catharines, known as Sam Adelstein & Co. Limited, answered the call and made arrangements for the materials to be delivered.

“I personally delivered the steel to the Centre,” said Brian Adelstein. “It was where I first became aware of the wonderful work that the Centre did.”

Brian described his father as a very hard-working individual who was dedicated to helping his community, donating to many great causes over the years. Earlier this year, the family also donated to the Niagara Hospital Foundation in honour of Joseph Adelstein’s wife who also passed away.

“The gift to the Children’s Centre was a small token of the appreciation that we have for all the wonderful staff,” said Brian Adelstein. “Hopefully, it will assist them in helping the over 5,300 children from the peninsula that they take care of each year.”

The donation is one of the largest single-family contributions to Niagara Children’s Centre in the organization’s 59-year history. The legacy gift will ensure that the Centre continues to be on the leading edge of therapy and support for children and youth with physical, developmental and communicative delays or disabilities.

“We are immensely grateful for the Adelstein’s generosity,” said Marla Smith, Director of Development. “With this remarkable gift, we can continue to support and grow our mission to ensure children and youth can achieve their optimal potential within their home, school and community environments.”

Community residents interested in establishing their legacy gift are encouraged to contact Marla Smith, Director of Development, at 905-688-1890 ext. 106 or at marla.smith@niagarachildrenscentre.com.