It’s been four years since Harry Panjer started the Centre Wellington Community Foundation (CWCF).
And it’s been a growing process, with the foundation handing out $500 grants to a wide range of community groups and expanding its assets to allow it to contribute more to the community.
The foundation board is made up of nine members, all actively involved in various community groups and organizations, but with a keen awareness of the principles on which the CWCF was founded. Last year was the first year the CWCF handed out grants.
“The CWCF is a public, charitable foundation created by the people of Centre Wellington,” the group’s mission statement reads.
“Our mission is to strengthen the Centre Wellington community by helping donors to achieve their giving goals, and by helping local non-profits find resources to support.”
“More and more has been added because it’s a good way to help your community,” said board member Toni Ellis of the foundation’s assets and grants. “The mini-grants are our first foray at granting.”
According to lawyer and board member John Morris, the foundation started out with about $15,000 in donations as part of its asset base. Today that figure sits at about $250,000 with three per cent available for grants.
The money is spread over five funds to which donors can earmark their contribution.
The fund pool was expanded with the addition of the Elma and David Jack Youth Recreation Fund and Middlebrook Social Innovation Fund which engages with the local charitable community.
Last year the foundation handed out nine $500 grants to local groups and organizations.
The recipients included the Elora Tarot Project, Heritage Centre Wellington, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Elora Centre for the Arts, Elora Environment Centre/Neighbourwoods, Elora United Church’s Wheels of Hope Project, Centre Wellington District High School’s Food School project (which went toward the purchase of a pig roaster the culinary program can use for fundraising) and Habitat for Humanity.
“The CWCF is an independent, volunteer-driven charitable foundation whose purpose is to provide leadership in promoting community philanthropy and enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Centre Wellington,” a foundation statement reads.
“The foundation pools the charitable gifts of many donors into permanent, income-earning endowments. Income from the endowments supports a wide range of charitable programs and activities.”
“It’s about educating the public that they have options,” said Morris, referring to making people aware of where they can make donations or direct money through wills to better the community.
“We’ve identified health and well-being, culture, the environment, and children – so
donations can be directed,” said John Kissick a board member since the foundation’s inception, referring to the community sectors to which the foundation directs its donations.
Allan Martin has been a board member for the past year. His decision to join was based on his interest in being involved in the community, strengthening community groups and organizations.
“I moved here (Fergus) from Uxbridge about five years ago where I was doing community work and when I moved I was looking for the same here,” Martin said.
“We have high aspirations and a small donor pool,” said Kissick, referring to the board’s effort to increase community awareness of its work along with donations.
Morris, who is active in the Elora Lions Club, said his decision to join the board was also based on a commitment to help in the community.
He also lends his legal expertise to the board.
“You need a group of individuals to come together and decide that a foundation would be a good way of gathering and pooling money,” Morris said.
“If people make a gift to change the community for the better it’s directed where the person wants it to go.
“We’re still in the process of creating the longer-term infrastructure.”
Morris said the work of the foundation is an offshoot of similar work done by local churches in the past.
“In prior generations our churches did good things in the community. For more people the church is not the be all or end all,” Morris said.
“The community foundation is providing the vehicle for people to give back to the community.”
The CWCF comes under the auspices of Community Foundations Canada (CFC) and is part of some 184 foundations across Canada. Similar organizations exist in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge.
The CWCF provides grants go to groups and organizations based within the township boundaries.
Its goals reflect those of the national organization.
The CFC states in its charter that local foundations are registered as a charity which allows them to issue tax exemptions for donations, provide grants to a wide range of local community groups and organizations, and to be a prudent and responsible steward and investor of charitable funds, maintaining complete and accurate records.
Board members come with their own expertise garnered through other community work.
“I think I was recruited because they were looking for someone who had expertise in the cultural area,” Kissick said.
Morris said he joined the board to replace Doug Jack, who “was on the board then (when it was founded) and he was instrumental in doing the legal work to get the foundation started.”
According to Kissick, the goal is to make the public aware of the foundation’s work and increase donations.
This year the foundation received about 22 mini-grant applications and was expected to make its final decision on successful recipients this month.
Also making up the board are directors Michael Chapman, Randall Howard, Alan Riddell, Bronwynne Wilton and Nancy Wood.
Information on the foundation can be found at http://cwcfoundation.ca or by emailing info@cwcfoundation.ca.
