OF LETHBRIDGE AND SOUTHWESTERN ALBERTA
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Community Matters #1 (Spring/Summer 2011)
|
Downloads & Links
The Foundation started small, but over the past 45 years, it has gained the confidence of donors from diverse communities, backgrounds, and interests. The Foundation now has a permanent endowment that exceeds $13 million in assets. Investment income is returned to the community each year in the form of annual grants to registered charities so that important community issues may be addressed.
In addition to these community grants, other funds are distributed through Designated Funds. These endowment funds are established by individual donors and community organizations who are able to specify how their money is to be used over time. We are grateful for the work of the nine founders and the many builders of the Lethbridge Foundation. Through their foresight and commitment, they established the organization that has, since 1966, given over $5.8 million in grants to charitable organizations in southwestern Alberta.
In April, we celebrated our 2011 Community Impact Awards, recognizing 33 community organizations from southwestern Alberta who shared $152,125. These grants are featured on pages 2 and 3. We expect to distribute an equal amount in the fall of this year.
The Foundation not only makes effective grants; we also work to develop networks across all sectors. We help to identify opportunities in many fields and build on existing community strengths. We are well placed to make simple, but often powerful, connections between people and organizations in the community.
We are proud of our past and excited about our future. We look forward to working with new donors to assist each of them in making a lasting difference in their community through endowed gifts to the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta.
Board President 2011
Barbara Cavers
Friends of the Foundation Dinner
Wednesday, September 21 @ the Lethbridge Lodge
The Community Foundation will celebrate its 45th anniversary with a special presentation by Dennis Shigematsu of Lethbridge. Dennis is a well known presenter of travel programs that feature his superb photography and adventures in challenging locales throughout the world.
“I have a renewed outlook on what we have at home and how it compares to the rest of the world. I see the valuable work the Community Foundation does and how it’s changed lives in Southwestern Alberta.”
Dinner speaker Dennis Shigematsu at the Simien Mountains in Ethopia with an Amhara tribesman in December 2009.
Downloads & Links
Community Grants
Spring 2011
Community Impact Grants Spring 2011
The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta is pleased to announce the awarding of grants to 33 community organizations totalling $152,125. Grants are provided through endowment funds established by generous donors and support a broad range of community service in the areas of Arts, Culture and Heritage; Human and Social Services; Health and Wellness; Recreation and Leisure; and Environment and Conservation.
Board President Barb Cavers presenting host organization Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Associations Will Crust with a plaque.
Grants Committee Chair Dennis Hatt (left) along with Board President Barb Cavers (right) present Juran Greene, Council Field Executive of Scouts Canada - Chinook Council with a grant.
FALL GRANT APPLICATIONS
Deadline
September 15, 2011
Click here or call
403-328-5297 for more information.
2010: A Successful Year
The activities of community organizations throughout southwestern Alberta were assisted by the Foundation through the awarding of grants totalling $210,524. The Foundation collaborated with several other community partners to present the Buck Starts Here Conference that provided over 100 local charities the opportunity to meet face to face with a variety of funders. Conference attendees were also able to learn about the importance of storytelling in promoting the work of a charity through a presentation by one of Canada’s leading authorities, Norma Cameron.
A revised and updated Act was proclaimed on April 22 by the Alberta Legislative Assembly through the sponsorship of MLA Greg Weadick. This enabled the name change to the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta which better reflects the geographic region served by the Foundation.
The Community Foundation received contributions of $358,739 that increased the invested capital of the Foundation to $13,815,624. In addition to financial contributions, the Foundation had positive investment returns of 7.99% which added to the distributable earnings of the endowment funds. The Alberta Community Spirit Program provided $25,000 in 2010 to assist with the endowment building objectives of the Foundation. In addition, the operations of the Foundation were assisted with an anonymous donation of $50,000.
The 2010 Financial Statements, audited by BDO Canada, are available here (pdf). Printed copies are available upon request by contacting the office at 403-328-5297.
When Creating or Updating Your Will Exercise Your “Will” Power and Leave a Legacy in Your Community
Keeping your Will current is just as important as making one in the first place. Having a Will helps you look after your family and friends and ensures that your final wishes are carried out in the way you want. If you’re creating or updating your Will, and after you’ve looked after your family and friends, please consider exercising your “Will” power to make a difference in the lives of others in your community.
An approach that has worked for others is to think of the community foundation as additional child, or a “charity” child, by naming them in their Will. By doing so, this gift may result in a tax benefit for your estate.
To learn more please contact your legal advisor or George Hall, Executive Director of the Foundation, in confidence at 403-328-5297 or ghall@cflsa.ca.
A Library Legacy
An endowment fund to provide funding for books at the Claresholm Public Library was established in 2011 through a legacy gift by Mr. Fred McNeil.
It was important to Mr. McNeil that permanent funds be established to assist community organizations through ongoing investment income.
The Claresholm Library Endowment Fund is open to all who wish to make a permanent gift to assist the library - forever.
Board Members 2011
|
||
Barbara Cavers
|
Monarch
|
President
|
Dianne King
|
Lethbridge
|
Vice-President
|
Marianne Gray
|
Lethbridge
|
Secretary/Treasurer
|
Reta Berte
|
Lethbridge
|
Director
|
Jason Comin
|
Cardston
|
Director
|
Dennis Hatt
|
Lethbridge
|
Director
|
Larry Helland
|
Lomond
|
Director
|
Phyllis Hutchinson
|
Skiff
|
Director
|
Kevin Keith
|
Lethbridge
|
Director
|
Corrine Klassen
|
Coaldale
|
Director
|
Joan Paradee
|
Taber
|
Director
|
Murray Pritchard
|
Lethbridge
|
Director
|
Ed Sinnott
|
Pincher Creek
|
Director
|
Wayne Street
|
Coaldale
|
Director
|
Gwen Van Raalte
|
Lethbridge
|
Director
|
George Hall
|
Executive Director
|
|
Inspiring Community Philanthropy for 45 Years • 1966 to 2011
On April 18, 2011, we celebrated the 45th Anniversary of the Community Foundation
of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta. The Lethbridge Foundation was established
in 1966 by a special act of the Alberta Legislature. In 2010, the Act was amended to
change the name of the Foundation to reflect our vision and practice of serving all of
southwestern Alberta.
The nine founding members of the Foundation envisioned their community made
stronger through philanthropy - gifts of time and money. To make that vision a reality,
they initiated a permanent endowment that would provide funding to charitable
organizations far into the future. Donations, small and large, would be pooled
together and invested. The investment income could then be used for annual grants
that were responsive to the ever-changing needs of the community. People from all
walks of life would help to create a legacy that would make a difference in their
neighbours’ lives.
Tickets are $45 each.
Contact the Foundation at 403-328-5297.
www.cflsa.ca
|
Updated December 2011
|
office@cflsa.ca 404 8th St South
|
403*328*5297
|