Terry’s Snow was presented the 2023 Canberra Philanthropy Award by Chief Minister Andrew Barr for his “outstanding lifetime dedication to improving the lives of those in need”. Photo: Snow Foundation.
Terry Snow AM, co-founder and chair of the Snow Foundation, has become the third recipient of the Hands Across Canberra (HAC) Canberra Philanthropy Award.
At a fundraising luncheon last month, the award was announced in recognition of Terry’s lifetime dedication to helping those in need.
The Snow family and foundation have been a big part of HAC since day one, according to HAC CEO Peter Gordon.
“From the beginning, the Snow Foundation has provided substantial direct financial assistance to HAC for a variety of purposes and has partnered with us in many undertakings,” he said.
Terry’s daughter Georgina Byron AM, the CEO of the Snow Foundation, was an inaugural member of the HAC board and helped form the charitable trust the organisation operates.
The foundation has also partnered with HAC on its Vital Signs report, which is a systematic way of taking the pulse of the community.
Over the past two years, the Snow Foundation has also collaborated with HAC and the John James Foundation to offer more than $1 million in joint grants to the various charities HAC supports.
“That’s one great thing about the Snow Foundation – they’re a national philanthropic foundation but have never forgotten where they came from,” Mr Gordon said.
“A substantial amount of their funds are deliberately directed to Canberra where snow family wealth is generated.
“The Hands Across Canberra mantra centres on the idea that if you live here, you should give here. This mantra is lived by the Snow family.”
Left to right: Peter Gordon, Cal Bruton, Ginette Snow, Terry Snow, Georgina Byron, Scarlett Gaffey and Greg Boorer after Terry was awarded. Photo: Snow Foundation.
In 2022, the HAC board decided philanthropy needed to be recognised in the same way other achievements in the community – such as sporting and academic – were recognised.
The HAC Philanthropy Award, however, would not necessarily be awarded every year.
“The criteria are very hard to meet,” Mr Gordon said.
“Over time the hope is to establish it as an incredibly prestigious recognition of the good that people can do in Canberra.”
Despite the high bar, Mr Gordon said Terry Snow’s “spectacular generosity” made him an obvious choice as an award recipient, and he hoped it would have a ripple effect.
“The award seeks to highlight to other people with resources in Canberra what Terry Snow and the Snow Foundation have done for this city, and hopefully get them thinking about their own generosity,” he said.
Mr Snow was moved by the presentation and acknowledged both the generosity of the Canberra community and the amount of pride he had in the legacy of the Snow Foundation and his family’s continued efforts, particularly with his daughter as CEO.
The 2023 HAC Philanthropy Award was announced at the recent HAC charity luncheon, which allowed generous Canberrans to hear stories directly from the charities that needed their support. Photo: HAC.
He said he was “humbled and honoured” to receive the award from HAC.
“In the spirit of giving to my hometown, I started the foundation with a simple view: see someone struggling and give them a helping hand,” he said.
“Canberra, our home, has always been at the heart of our Foundation and I am very proud that 33 years on, the foundation has achieved some wonderful outcomes for the Canberra community and nationally on significant social issues, led by my daughter Georgina at the helm for the past 17 years.
“Now that Ginette and I reside on the NSW South Coast, our giving has naturally expanded to this region. The essence remains unchanged – it’s important for me to invest in and support our community, to give where we live.”
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