The Altona and Plum Coulee community foundations are looking for support during the giving challenge week.
The Endow Manitoba campaign takes place from Nov. 13 to 19, and Altona foundation president Haydon Friesen said the annual event is the organization’s primary fundraiser.
“We are able to really grow our donations during that week, where the provincial government and the Winnipeg Foundation stretch those dollars to help us build our endowment fund and continue that growth.
“Up to $10,000 is the maximum that we can raise in order to take advantage of the stretched dollars through Endow Manitoba and the Province of Manitoba. They give us two dollars for every five dollars we receive, so hopefully we can surpass that and raise as much funds as possible.”
The Plum Coulee Community Foundation has also benefited from the Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge. Thanks to the ongoing support from local community members and businesses, a total of $15,661 was added to the endowment fund during last year’s challenge.
Fund development chair Moira Porte said it’s important for Plum Coulee residents to participate in this annual event.
“First of all, it’s a good time to donate because every $20 gift that is made to the foundation turns into $28 because it’s stretched with the help of the Winnipeg Foundation and the Manitoba government. So, you get a bigger bang for your $20,” she said.
“We support so many different organizations in Plum Coulee, so the more we grow our endowment fund, the more interest we earn on our fund, and the more money we can give back to the community. It just helps our community flourish. We support youth, seniors, the environment, recreation and school projects – the list goes on.”
Thanks to the generosity of the community and surrounding area, the Altona foundation has been able to meet and surpass that goal for the past number of years, noted Friesen.
“We’ve been consistently hitting that $10,000 mark since the challenge began. I look forward to hopefully doing that again this year.”
At this point, the foundation was still working out some of the details on what kind of events it might offer to encourage community giving during giving week.
“In the meantime, we can still accept donations through our website (altonacommunityfoundation.com) and through any of our board members, or cheques can be dropped off at Access Credit Union.”
This year’s giving challenge coincides with the foundation’s 30th anniversary, and the push to drive their endowment fund to $2 million to celebrate this milestone.
Their current total assets hover around $1.7 million, which allows them to distribute funds throughout two granting cycles annually in the spring and in the fall.
“We’re always looking to build on that and increase the amount available to grant out to the community and various projects in our area.
“Fortunately, Endow Manitoba and the province have continued to offer this program which enables community foundations to grow their endowment funds on an annual basis and throughout a short period of time to really push to increase those funds and be able to support as many projects as possible in each of their given territories.”
To participate in the Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge from Nov. 13 to 19, go to your local community foundation website, and you will be redirected to the Endow Manitoba website where you can donate directly to the
