The Coldwell Lundar Community Foundation (CLCF) granted out more than $52,000 to local community groups and projects this year.
On Saturday, March 15, CLCF hosted its annual awards gala at the Lundar Lutheran Church Hall at 2 p.m. This year, the foundation granted out the most money it has ever received, largely due to a gift from the Thomas Sill Foundation.
The Winnipeg Foundation has the Thomas Sill Manitoba Fund to support communities and organizations in need. In 2015, the fund challenged CLCF to raise $50,000 in 18 months, and they would grant them $25,000. CLCF met the challenge within nine months—half the time—thanks to the immense support and generosity of the community, adding $75,000 to their unrestricted permanently endowed funds for granting that year.
At the end of last December, CLCF learned they were receiving another gift from the Thomas Sill Manitoba Fund. This one goes to all the community foundations across Manitoba to enhance their granting potential. As CLCF has an asset-based of more than $500,000, they received what other foundations in the same bracket received: $22,900.
With $52,103 to grant, the board got to work, carefully reviewing each of the 10 applications they received. Two of those 10 were from the same organization for different projects. Every group applying for a grant this year gets one from CLCF.
“It was great to be able to say this organization needs this much money and we’re able to give them the entire amount,” said Irene Runolfson, treasurer and acting executive director of the CLCF board. “It’s just amazing the work that’s being done by our local groups. They’re very active in the community.”
She said it can be challenging to grant money some years, deciding which projects deserve more funds than others. Luckily, they had lots to give this year, making the decisions more straightforward.
“It was hard, but it was easy,” said Runolfson. “There were 10 applications, and you could see when you read them how the groups work really hard. So, it’s how can we best help these groups to still thrive and sustain them into the future?”
The following groups received grants from CLCF this year:
– Lundar Community Resource Council: $3,653 for supplying and installing enclosed shelving and purchasing a filing cabinet for the community cupboard food program.
Lundar New Horizons Club: $2,538 to replace fluorescent lighting on the west side of the building with LED lighting.
– Eriksdale Fire Department: $4,400 for purchasing an enclosed trailer to store and transport the inflatable fire safety house for promotion, parades, and events.
Lundar Community Swimming Pool: $6,583 to purchase a robotic vacuum to clean the bottom of the pool and four sets of blankets and rollers to cover it.
– Lakeshore School Division and Lundar High School: $4,000 for purchasing 25 Lundar Kodiaks high school hockey uniforms.
– Lundar Falcons Hockey School: $10,000 will be used to renovate the Lundar Memorial Arena to create a second classroom and storage area.
Grettir Co-op: $4,659 to purchase and install wireless internet access points throughout the arena, which will allow for live streaming hockey games and enhance security.
– Pauline Johnson Library: $6,648 for purchasing a storage shed and laying a gravel pad.
– Lundar Minor Ball: $2,363 for purchasing an in-field mix of material for the ball diamonds.
A total of $7,258 of annual interest was also earned by seven named funds for specific causes.
“It’s so great to be able to help them achieve their charitable purpose,” said Runolfson. “It’s very rewarding to see the volunteerism in our community. They all have goals that they want to reach but they also want to be able to sustain into the future and the community foundation is here to help them with that. It’s just amazing what groups can accomplish.”
