Canton man's name lives on

When he died in March 2009, from a heart attack at age 54, it left a huge void not only in his family but in the community he had served, she said.

Suzanne Matthews created the Paul R. Matthews Foundation, which recently gave out three grants and two scholarships benefiting the youth of the town.

“He was a strong believer in extracurricular activities like sports, and those were often the first things to get cut from budgets in hard economic times,’’ she said. “He would like what these grants do for the kids.’’

Matthews would come home from school board meetings and tell his wife there had to be other ways of funding programs than relying on donations from a handful of generous, wealthy donors.

“He always thought if everyone gave a little bit, we’d have the resources, they’d add up,’’ Suzanne Matthews said. “That was the reason I wanted to set up the foundation, to let everyone make a small contribution and put it all together.’’

This year, the foundation gave $3,000 to the Dean S. Luce Elementary School’s Canton Association of Parents and Teachers to help with the school’s playground construction; $500 to Canton High School for a landscaping project at the school that will involve students; and a yet-to-be-determined amount for Luce School for communication software to help children with language impairments.

“Whatever that amount is, the foundation will cover it,’’ Matthews said.

Each year, the foundation gives out $1,000 scholarships each to a senior boy and girl, nominated by the faculty and voted on by the school population based on academics, leadership, sportsmanship, and community service, Matthews said. This year’s winners were Katharine D’Orazio, who will attend Harvard University this fall, and Kevin Connolly, who is going to Northeastern University.

The grants and scholarships help carry on Matthews’s late husband’s mission, which was “to ensure our childrens’ hope for the future.’’

For more information on the foundation, visit www.prmfoundation.com or call 781-828-0989.

SOUTHCOAST HONORS EMPLOYEES: Southcoast Hospitals Group, which consists of Tobey Hospital in Wareham, Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, and St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, recently honored employees who reached major milestones in years of service. This year, the group celebrated a total of 1,029 employees with anniversaries of five to 45 years, said Keith A. Hovan, company president.

Honorees, their hometowns, and years of service included:

■40 years of service: Joan Eckhart, care coordination at Charlton; Judy Galego, perioperative services at St. Luke’s; and Debra Pacheco and Sandra Quinn, both in patient services at St. Luke’s, all of Freetown.

■35 years of service: Mary Green, patient services at St. Luke’s, and Deborah Souza, laboratory at St. Luke’s, both of Freetown; Jaime Mourao, engineering and maintenance at St. Luke’s, of Marion; Joann Finn and Teresa Todd, both in rehab services at St. Luke’s, both of Wareham.

BUSINESS BRIEFS: May Institute in Randolph, a nonprofit serving people with autism and other special needs, was given a $20,000 grant from the New York Center for Autism, part of the proceeds from Comedy Central’s “2010 Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism,’’ said institute president and CEO Walter P. Christian. The event generated more than $3.5 million in donations, and May Institute was one of 35 organizations to be named a grant recipient, Christian said. The institute was founded in 1955 and its programs are held at nearly 200 locations across the country.

Elyse Barry of Braintree was named an administrative assistant at Kirkland Albrecht & Fredrickson in Braintree, a certified public accounting firm. Before joining the company, she was with Ropes & Gray LLP as a practice development assistant.

Cathy Gray of Hingham was named the new sales counselor at Linden Ponds in Hingham, an Erickson Living retirement community. She has been with Erickson since 2006.

Dawn Stevens (inset) of Hanson was named director of relocation for Jack Conway Realtor in Norwell’s 42-office firm. She began working at Conway as a real estate agent in 1989. For 12 years, Stevens was volunteer coordinator for the company’s annual MainSpring “Dishin’ It Up for the Homeless’’ charity event, which raises money for the Brockton-based organization.

Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at Kandarian@globe.com.