Remembering a Tireless Community Volunteer

Ip was co-founder of non-profit Success

A Chinese-Canadian who dedicated most of her life to public service, and was a co-founder of Success, a non-profit organisation which helped new immigrants, has passed away. Maggie Ip was in her early 80s.

She came to Canada in the 1960s from Shanghai and got her Masters in Education at the University of Ottawa, and later was a secondary school teacher. 

Ip also served on Vancouver city council from 1993-1996, but before then she helped set up Success 51 years ago. Originally it focused on helping new immigrants from Hong Kong and China, but now serves people from around the world and has become one of the largest settlement service organisations in Canada.

In the beginning, many immigrants were "lost" and relied on friends for help to survive in Canada.

"Then we realised that they have so much potential... to help to build this country," Ip said last year on the 50th anniversary of Success.

"We would really like to make sure that they are adapted, they are adjusted and they will become contributory members of society. So this is how we started Success. That's why the Chinese call it 'immigrant mutual help'."

Ryan Drew, who works as the director of integrated services for newcomers at Success, says Ip leaves behind a rich legacy.

"Over those 50 years, she's been in a variety of different roles and capacities," she says. "And, you know, even right up to the present day, she was like attending volunteer recognition events.

"I think we've already seen her legacy in action. We are as an agency now... we've gone from this small group of volunteers, you know, sort of making things happen, in anyway they can, to being a large agency with over an C$85 million budget."

Ip leaves behind her husband Kelly and two adult children.

I happened to see her in February at a Chinese New Year event and she was in good spirits. Will miss her cheerful smile.