Vital Signs
July 5 saw the launch of the 6th annual Victoria’s Vital Signs® survey. The results will be compiled and released in our annual community report card in October. The report is proven to be a valuable resource for community planning and identifying philanthropic opportunities.
Please help us help our communities by completing the survey online. This year we’ve broken the survey into 2 parts to make it shorter. You can complete one or the other or both!
There are several gift certificates to local eateries to be won just for participating:
• $50 Ferris' Oyster Bar
• $50 The London Chef
• $50 Murchies donated by CIBC
• $50 for the restaurant or lounge at the Hotel Grand Pacific donated by Reed Pope
Click here to take the survey and feel free to distribute widely with your friends, family and coworkers.
Remembering Jane Rogers
As part of the 60th anniversary milestones in 1996, the Victoria Foundation appointed an Honorary Board of Governors to be chaired by Jane Rogers, wife of the late former Lieutenant Governor, Bob Rogers.
Since that time, Jane continued to be a beloved member of the Foundation up until her passing on Friday, June 24th, 2011. Her legacy will continue to inspire the Foundation for years to come.
This appreciation of community is a theme that ran through the life of Jane Rogers and the many volunteer projects in which she was involved, including Hospice and a Government task force on seniors’ issues in B.C.
She believed that investing in our community was the best way to build a strong future for our children and grandchildren. That is why she felt so passionately that contributing to the Victoria Foundation meant building for the future of this community.
Please read more on our website.
75 reasons to celebrate
The Victoria Conference Centre served as the backdrop for an evening filled with community foundation history, the importance of philanthropy and why coast to coast Rick Mercer is a Canadian treasure.
Thanks to the generous support of Island Savings, Rick Mercer entertained the capacity crowd for over an hour for his first ever performance in Victoria. Hosted by Global BC TV News Anchor Chris Gailus
, the Foundation also presented keynote speaker Tim Brodhead from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and premiered a tribute video 75 Years and Counting produced specifically for the occasion.
You can watch our 75th anniversary video on our YouTube channel. The video was produced by Steve Olafson of /A\ Vancouver Island Now.
A successful year for Youth in Philanthropy
The Victoria Foundation continues its work with local youth to promote philanthropy and community development. Through the Youth in Philanthropy program, approximately 100 students in seven high schools have allocated grants totalling $17,500 to charitable organizations in our community. The year-end event, held at the Union Club of British Columbia, was a great success, and a chance for the Student Advisory Committees to present their grants to the organizations.
Visit our website to learn more about the program or to read about the 2011 Youth in Philanthropy grants.
Lex Reynolds Adoptions and Permanency Trust Fund
The Lex Reynolds Adoptions and Permanency Trust Fund has been held at the Victoria Foundation since 2004. On May 7th the Trust’s Advisory Committee approved 16 Mini-Grants (averaging $1500 each) worth a total of $25, 500 for a variety of short-term adoption and permanency related projects – workshops, special events, conference attendance, staff/volunteer training and camps/retreats.
Organizations that received the Mini-Grants include:
• Adoptive Families Association of BC
• Adoptive Parents of People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (APP FASD)
• Akoma Ntoaso Mentorship Program
• Bonaparte Indian Band
• Carrier Sekani Family Services
• CHOICES Adoption & Counselling
• Family Services of Greater Vancouver
• FASD Collaboration Roundtables
• Lalum’utul’Smun’eem Child and Family Services
• Saanich Neighborhood Place
• Shuswap Nation Tribal Council Society
• Watershed Productions
Power in numbers
Our 2010-2011 annual report is available online. It is appropriately themed Power in Numbers in reference to our 75th anniversary year and our growth and achievements since 1936.
One could never have imagined that an initial donation of $20 would grow to total assets under management of over $180 million 75 years later. This number speaks to the commitment and generosity of our donors and our community.
Moving forward into the second half of 2011, there are still many more exciting things to come. Work has begun on this year's Victoria’s Vital Signs® and don’t forget to visit our website so you can participate in the indicator grading survey. Broad–based citizen participation is critical to best capture a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist in our region.
Victoria Circle launched
The Victoria Foundation is proud to introduce the Victoria Circle – our way of recognizing and giving thanks to the donors who make legacy gifts. The Victoria Circle celebrates thoughtful individuals and families who help support the future of community and the causes that matter the most to them. Gifts such as a bequest in a will are held in perpetuity within our endowment, with the annual distributable returns provided to charitable organizations.
It is with the support of our Victoria Circle members that we are able to turn philanthropic passions into meaningful differences. For more information about the Victoria Circle and how you can plan your legacy gift, please contact Sara Neely, Director of Philanthropic Services at 250.381.5532 or sneely@victoriafoundation.bc.ca.
Join us online!
You may already have visited us online on our website. Now you can follow @VicFoundation on Twitter to see what we’re up to, leave us a comment on Facebook and watch our videos on YouTube.
We invite you to read our blog to learn more about the Foundation and the organizations and communities we support. Visit our special anniversary website: www.75yearsandcounting.ca to view an interactive timeline of the Foundation’s history.
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