Tyrel Thorpe opened the Family & Friends Community Foundation Inc. AGM at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, May 1st at the Churchbridge Community Hall.
The Foundation reviewed and approved the minutes of the last AGM held on May 3, 2023 last AGM.
Board of Directors Report
Tyrel reported as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors.
Over $800,000 in grants have been given since the foundation’s inception over 20 years ago. The foundation presented over $60,000 in grants during the AGM on May 1st.
Financial Report
Lorrie Popp reported on the financial statements.
Current assets and long-term investments are at $2,038,988, an increase from $1,917,536.
Donation revenue was $31,057 for the 2023 financial year, $10,787 from fundraising, $161,891 from investment income and $1,091 as revenue from grants disbursed.
Expenses from grants was $63,026 in 2023 compared to $57,815 in 2022.
Overall revenue was $204,826 and $24,578 of expenses.
Less than 12% of income to Family & Friends Community Foundation Inc. goes towards administration costs. 88 cents per dollar of income goes directly to the funds.
Description of Funds
Funds listed on the financial statements with descriptions included:
Cancer Support fund – education, awareness and support of cancer
Art fund – arts in all communities
Health and Palliative fund – health and palliative projects in the communities Langenburg Daycare – projects of the Langenburg Daycare
The restricted town funds below are to be used in the designated communities.
Churchbridge Grad Legacy fund – Churchbridge school projects
Bernice and Peter Popick Memorial fund – Langenburg school or educational project
Wayne Mund Memorial fund – youth or sport in Langenburg
Trent Fiesler fund – projects in the Langenburg community
Friends of Langenburg schools – Langenburg school projects
Little Red Car fund – children projects in all communities
G. Layh Theatre fund – Langenburg theatre projects
Friends of the Langenburg School Scholarship fund – granted annually to a
Langenburg student
Denis and Diann Putland Memorial – provide funding for Churchbridge Cemetery and Churchbridge Community in Bloom
Kelly Reitenbach – Langenburg rink board annual project
Walter and Vera Fieseler – Langenburg health project
Legion – annual Remembrance Day poster and essay competition in Langenburg schools
Welke Family – projects in the Langenburg community
Brookelyn Day Endowment fund – children and their families
Warren and Cheryl Kotzer fund – to be used in the community of Langenburg Irene Adams fund – to support arts, library and/or education in the local community
Mervin and Ann Kendel fund – to support the beautification of Langenburg by improving and maintaining parks, green spaces, rest area and general appearance LCS Leadership fund – to promote and enhance school leadership with the goal of creating community leaders and succession within student council organization Rosemarie and Earl Walz Memorial fund – maintenance and care of St. Joseph’s Parish cemetery
Lance Kaminski Memorial fund – to support sports and recreation in Churchbridge Daryl McDonell Memorial fund – improvements to the Langenburg arena
Art and Gwen Just Memorial fund – designated Churchbridge and area, purchase of books/tuition for students, or community-based projects for upkeep or purchase of equipment
Flow through funds are to be used as directed by the donor.
A breakdown was provided in the financial statement for each individual fund.
Appointment of the Auditor
It was the board’s recommendation that BakerTily be appointed as the auditor for the 2024 financial year.
Report from Nominating Committee – Election of Board Members
Bill Johnston read the report and called for nominations from the floor. None were given and a motion was given on the presented slate of candidates.
Guest Speakers
Guest speakers included Justice Donald Layh and Colleen Larocque.
Layh spoke about the origins of Family & Friends Community Foundation Inc..
Layh mentioned, “We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for two lovely ladies; Mary and Jean Welke”. After their husbands’ passing they approached the lawyer, Don Layh, regarding their estate. The topic of how to keep the money in the community was discussed and a cheque would eventually be written to establish the funding that helped the foundation’s origin.
“At that time, in Saskatchewan there was a community foundation in Saskatchewan South, Saskatoon and Prince Albert; we were the fourth to have a community foundation in Saskatchewan.”
They created a steering group which decided on the preliminary board of directors, and included the three communities of Spy Hill, Churchbridge and Langenburg.
A founders group was established and many people and organizations donated to start this founding fund.
Dr. Wyand worked with the health region regarding fundraising dollars for a hospital project that never came to fruition. These dollars were transferred from the health region to the community foundation to grow the founding fund further.
Other community-minded donors were looking to give back to their towns. They entrusted the foundation with their estate to continue helping in areas that they feel are important.
Layh said, “We have the vehicle to do things that are important, we give an opportunity to people to do something that is larger than themselves.”
Cemetery funds were established by many residents who felt strongly about the future maintenance of these areas.
Mervin Ness is credited with having the first idea of donating to a cemetery with his estate.
A story about George Layh was shared and how he chose to create a fund for improvements at the theatre. George was very fond of helping children. The idea of the dancers having to get prepared in the firehall across the street, then run across the road to perform at the theatre spurred him to start the fund for theatre improvements. George also started the Little Red Car fund as well which helps children’s projects in the community.
Lynda Haverstock, appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan in 2000, attended the Family and Friends Foundation inaugural gala on February 28 , 2004 to celebrate the support received from the community.
Patti Zerr and Cherryl Kotzer were mentioned as having an important role to play for organizing the opening gala.
Colleen Larocque spoke next about the importance of Family & Friends Community Foundation Inc. to the local healthcare system.
Larocque has been the manager at the Langenburg Health Centre for over 11 years. “The amount of equipment that has been brought into our building to help our residents, families and staff, I don’t know where we would be without it. I have been on a few provincial health committees…there are some places in trouble. We don’t have that problem in Langenburg and that is truly because of Family and Friends.”
Colleen spoke about the realities of working in her position and how the foundation helps this local area, and is known around the province in the healthcare system.
She mentioned the large list of equipment and renovations that the foundation has helped them with. She added, “We can never thank Family and Friends enough. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all to everyone who does the work and everyone who contributes to the foundation”.