Lethbridge living | Page 49

Giving to the Community foundation the Community foundation of lethbridge and southwestern alberta has a well-earned reputation for careful stewardship, respect for donors and thoughtful financial investment. many people have chosen to help their community by supporting the Community foundation. today’s Community foundation boasts an investment portfolio of $25 million. over the past 50 years, more than $9 million has been distributed to hundreds of organizations. this past fiscal year alone, $723,127 in grants were distributed to 110 community organizations. Giving to the Community foundation is flexible, effective and secure. Donors who choose to support the foundation can do so with the confidence that their finances will be managed effectively, and their particular charitable interest will be respected – forever. there are three ways to support the Community foundation #1 Support Your Community #2 Focus Your Support #3 Support a Charity of Your Choice Funds donated to the Community Priorities Fund are done so without restriction. Thanks to the foresight of founders such as the late Louis Sherman Turcotte, and transformational gifts from the estates of James Earl Rinehart and others, the Community Foundation has more than half of its funds available to be granted based on community priorities. What do you feel strongly about? Keeping your rural community vital? Inclusion, seniors, poverty, youth? The Community Foundation can provide you with options to leave a lasting legacy in an area of interest locally, nationally, or abroad that is important to you. If you wish to support a particular charitable organization, funds can be held and invested by the Community Foundation. As the interest income accumulates, these funds can be directed specifically toward that charity to generate operating funds and provide a sense of continuity and security. Donors to this fund leave a legacy that will help organizations as they respond to community issues today and tomorrow. This ensures that, as community needs change, the Community Foundation is there to meet those needs. Donors may choose to support a particular field of interest or a cause they believe in. For example, Lethbridge resident Dolores Brown established a fund to enable disadvantaged children to participate in sports activities. Many donors have designated their fund to areas where there is a defined need, with the flexibility to give within that area of interest as times change. This is a convenient option for not only the charity, which may lack the support necessary to start and maintain a charitable fund in perpetuity, but also for the donor, who can direct their support to a specific group and for a specific purpose. There are nearly 20 charitable organizations in our region that have funds under investment by the Community Foundation. 7