Community Mourns Passing of Mike McQuaid, Longtime Philanthropist and Community Leader

Mike McQuaid, a longtime community philanthropist and one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Human Services Campus in Phoenix, died on July 25 of complications related to COVID-19.

McQuaid was a successful businessman and the founder of the McQuaid Family Foundation, and after volunteering at local nonprofit Andre House serving the homeless, he pioneered the development of the Human Services Campus in Phoenix.

“For years, Mike was relentless, in bringing people together and putting ideas into action that moved us one step closer to ending homelessness at a community level,” said Amy Schwabenlender, Human Services Campus Executive Director in a statement. “His commitment to the Human Services Campus, which has become a national model, has resulted in thousands of individuals moving from homelessness into permanent housing.”

Governor Doug Ducey marked McQuaid’s passing in a statement on Twitter, saying “Yesterday, Arizona lost Mike McQuaid Sr., one of our brightest lights and champions for good. A 50-year resident of Phoenix, Mike turned a successful business career into a passion for serving others, especially those experiencing homelessness.”

“When I think of Mike, I’m drawn to a comment he made so humbly, yet it was so profound,” said Mary Jane Rynd, president and CEO, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. “He said ‘while you may make a living by what you get, it is what you give that makes a life.’ Mike, with his heart of gold, showed us a way to lead and serve that empowered others, who were often in dire circumstances, to find new paths to health and security. We need to continue what he taught us and make him proud,”

Mike McQuaid was the inaugural recipient of Piper Trust’s Encore Career Prize in 2013. You may view his story at this link.