Boys and Girls Club Fund Brings History Full Circle at Victoria Foundation
Victoria, B.C., Dec. 20, 2011 – The first organization to receive a grant from the Victoria Foundation has become the most recent one to create an endowment fund with the community foundation.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Victoria Foundation has established the Boys and Girls Club Our Children – Our Future Fund with an initial endowment of $100,000.
“Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Victoria Foundation first established the Our Children – Our Future endowment fund as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations in 2000,” said Patti Sullivan, executive director of Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria.
“We wanted to ensure that we would continue to make a difference in the lives of children, youth and families well into the future and thus honor the intentions of our founder, Colonel R.O. Bull. By transferring our endowment to the Victoria Foundation we believe it will gain a wider audience and even greater support.”
The club, then called the Victoria Boys’ Club, received a grant of $3,000 from the Victoria Foundation when the foundation began active granting in 1969. It has since received close to $100,000 in grants from the foundation.
In addition to being the founder of Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria, the late Colonel Roland Bull was also a generous donor to the Victoria Foundation and a prominent member of the foundation’s board of directors. Bull was present when the community foundation presented its first cheque to the club, along with $2,000 each to the Maritime Museum and what has since become the Community Living Association of Victoria (see photo below).
“Our first grantee has become our 74th hosted organization – a charity with a permanent fund managed by our foundation,” said foundation CEO Sandra Richardson. “It’s a wonderful way to wrap up our 75th anniversary year because it reminds us of the history and the commitment our two organizations share to strengthen our community.”
The Victoria Foundation now manages 105 endowment funds for 74 registered charities, annually distributing earnings from these permanent funds to the organizations. It’s a service that provides long-term stability for the funds while reducing costs and paperwork for the non-profits.
Gifts to the endowment funds of any of the Victoria Foundation’s hosted organizations can be made online by credit card through the foundation’s portal at CanadaHelps. Donations by credit card may also be made by phone by calling 250-381-5532. Donations by phone may be made until noon Dec. 23 to receive a 2011 tax receipt. Donations by cheque must be dated and postmarked on or before Dec. 31, 2011 to receive a 2011 tax receipt.
The foundation’s mailing address is #109-645 Fort Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1G2. The Victoria Foundation office will be closed from noon Dec. 23, 2011 until 8:30 a.m. Jan. 3, 2012.
Publicly traded securities can also be accepted although the deadline has passed to receive a tax receipt for 2011.
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The photo above and a head shot of Col. R.O. Bull are available for downloading from this new release's posting at SendtoNews
Background: The Victoria Foundation manages funds gifted either in perpetuity or for specific purposes. The funds or the earnings from them are then distributed as grants for charitable or educational purposes. Established in 1936, the Victoria Foundation is Canada’s second oldest community foundation and the sixth largest of 180. To date it has invested more than $100 million in people, projects and non-profit organizations that strengthen communities in B.C. and across Canada. Read more about the Victoria Foundation’s vision and mandate. View a 75-year interactive timeline for the Victoria Foundation at www.75yearsandcounting.ca.
Boys & Girls Club Services has been a vital support for children, youth and their families in Greater Victoria for over 50 years. It is a leading provider of before- and after-school programs, youth justice programs and other services for vulnerable youth. Each of these programs create safe, supportive places where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop the confidence and skills they need for successfully leading their lives and their communities. Learn more about Boys & Girls Club Services at www.bgcvic.org.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Slater Director of Communications, Victoria Foundation
250 381-5532 ext. #227 250 686-8477
email: sslater@victoriafoundation.bc.ca
victoriafoundation.bc.ca
www.75yearsandcounting.ca
Kate Mansell
Director of Development, Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria
250 384-9131, ext 115 or 250 478-3872
Email: KMansell@bgcvic.org