Cyril "Mac" McDonald

1900 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	Cyril "Mac" McDonald
  Born	Between 1899 and 1900
  Gender	Male
  Social Service	Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Margaret McDonald Sunshine Home for the Retarded.
  		Kitchener-MargaretMcDonaldsSunshineHome-0001Postcar.jpg
  Name	Mac McDonald
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-197817
  Died	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I197817	Generations
  Last Modified	28 Jan 2025

  
  

  Family	Margaret,   b. Between 1911 and 1912,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	29 Jan 2025
  Family ID	F59705	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Wellesley's Sunshine Home closes By CAROL JANKOWSKI Record Staff Writer Photograph and caption WELLESEY - Burdened with failing health. a Wellesley couple have chosen the Margaret McDonald Sunshine Home for retarded children, which Mrs. McDonald opened 15 years ago. Their last 19 boarders aged three to 16 and suffering from mental and physical handicaps, have been relocated, and the home is up for sale. Cyril (Mac) McDonald. who will be 75 in September, said ill health was the sole reason for deciding last winter to begin closing the home. Phasing out the operation took three months. but became more urgent in March when Mrs. McDonald 63., suffered a second stroke and was admitted to hospital. She first fell ill last year. Mr. McDonald. who finds it almost too quiet in the big house at RR 1, Wellesley, that was home to as many as 27 children at a time, said no matter how good the Sunshine staff was, conditions were never quite the same as when his wife was in charge. Margaret McDonald opened the home in 1960 after working at Sunbeam Lodge for retarded children in the Twin Cities. Later when Mr. McDonald retired from his job in the fracture room at K-W Hospital, he shared the job of running the home, which accepted children from infancy on at the request of parents or Children's Aid Societies (CAS). The McDonald Home took youngsters from all over the province. Wilson Hunsberger, executive director of the Waterloo Region CAS, said the closing was "kind of a sad thing - they have done a commendable job looking after some pretty handicapped children." Mary Lugsdin, a child welfare supervisor with the ministry of community and social services in Toronto, said the McDonalds put their heart and soul into the home. Besides being mentally retarded, some of the children had diseases such as cerebral palsy or other rare, crippling problems. She recalled that Mrs. McDonald particularly liked babies and, with a combination of love and attention, enabled some who were not expected to live past infancy to reach their teenage years. Miss Lugsdin said she doesn't think she will ever have a better experience working with a community team than she did in the months the home was preparing to close. Waterloo Region could be extremely proud of its three schools for the retarded -Martin's, McQuarrie and New Dawn - whose staff provided detailed impressions on the progress of children living at the McDonald Home, she said. Their reports, plus personal assessment by the K-W Hospital Child and Family Centre and medical check-ups: from Dr. Richard Irvine in New Hamburg, facilitated the placement of the children in new homes. The ministry notified childcare agencies early this year that no more children would be accepted by Sunshine Home. Realizing it would be "an emotional whack for the McDonalds to go from a lively household full of children needing 24-hour care to retirement," the ministry staff, professionals and volunteers in the community pulled together to ease the transition. "It has just worked out beautifully," Miss Lugsdin said. 'Some" very exciting things have happened in the placements that will give the children the greatest possible opportunities." Several families in the area offered temporary homes so children whose new locations would not be available for a few weeks could continue their schooling. All the children have since left this area. Behind the scenes, several local teenagers walked through snowstorms to help at the home when weather-bound staff couldn't reach the McDonalds. Two women. Jennifer Mariott of New New Hamburg and Rose Wagler of Shakepeare transported the children two by two for their medicals and others shuttled forms back end forth when the mail system appeared on the verge of collapapse. "The way they rallied around Is just beyond belief," Miss Lugsdin said. Mr McDonald said he hopes to remain in the Wellesley area. You either retire or you get tired." He may oleo have the chance to realize a couple of long-standing dreams - to visit Scotland and to write a book. The Sunshine Home auxiliary plans a retirement tea for the McDonalds later this spring Kitchener-Waterloo Record 14 Apr 1975 ________________ Letter To The Independent The following letter to the Editor has been received from Cyril and Margaret McDonald, who operate "Sunshine Home", a home for handicapped children, at RR 1, Wellesley: To the Editor: On the first of July, 1963, Sunshine Home, operated by my wife Margaret and I will celebrate one year as a home for handicapped babies. First we opened up our front room, and we did have a lot of manipulating to do. However, as time went on, the generosity of the K-W Orphanage gave us enough to build a wing, and the babies were accommodated in roomier surroundings. The first year has been a hectic one, getting enough money to do the things we had to do for our children. Anyway, we survived very well, and through the many prayers of our friends, we were able to surmount all obstacles. Being in a Mennonite community has helped us greatly with the ladies sewing and doing many little things to take the load off us. But most of all we have had the materialistic answer in prayer. It is all sufficient for our needs, and it has seen us through so far, and we expect a good second year. My wife is well trained for this work, having thirty years in child care. I am known to many in the area, as I am in the fracture room of K-W Hospital and meet many of you from day to day. We hope that your visits will continue to our Home. Singly or in groups, you are welcome. We will have a get together in August to help increase our facilities. God bless you all. Yours truly, Margaret and Cyril McDonald New Hamburg Independent 6 Jun 1963

  
  

• Event Map

  Social Service - Margaret McDonald Sunshine Home for the Retarded. - - Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth