Radar

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY has always been second nature for Mark Basciano. Whether it’s lending his resources to support the new Bethesda Toy Library in Thorold or being a founding donor of the South Niagara Hospital currently under construction in Niagara Falls, Basciano’s commitment to doing his part has benefited worthy causes across the Niagara area.

Basciano’s recent initiatives include donating $1 million to support the Mountainview Centre for Innovative Learning, a community-based hub focused on addressing children’s mental health issues. And, since 2022, he has helped raise $185,000 — enough to provide summer camp experiences for more than 800 underprivileged kids — through the annual Mountainview LemonAID Day in support of Family and Children’s Services Niagara.

“It’s the way I was raised,” says Basciano, who started working at his family’s construction company in the early 1980s and has since helped grow it into one of the most respected builders in Ontario. “My mom and my late father very much believed that you need to give back and they instilled that in me from an early age.” In addition to building homes across the Niagara region as the president of Mountainview Building Group, Basciano is equally dedicated to inspiring others to follow suit through his contributions to schools, hospitals and other philanthropic initiatives.

“I’m proud that we’re leaving the community better than when we entered it and I hope that we encourage other organizations and individuals to get involved,” Basciano says. “Big or small, it doesn’t matter. The best time to make a difference is always now.”