Don Roberts, President of Chestermere Regional Community Development Foundation (“Chestermere Foundation”) announced that the Foundation is ready to roll and is excited about holding its Second Annual General Meeting on May 7th, 2015 at 7:30pm at Camp Chestermere.
The Chestermere Foundation, which was incorporated in early 2014 was established to help foster growth of programs and infrastructure that Chestermere residents believe is important to their community.
Roberts said “since our first Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors has been very active in establishing the basic tenants for how the Chestermere Foundation will operate. The Board has developed a Mission Statement, Vision, Strategic Plan and Business Plan to help guide the Foundation going forward”.
The Foundation is now actively looking for local projects to support by acting as the facilitator to various endeavors. They want to hear from community members about their ideas, especially those that benefit all residents within the Foundation area.
Mr. Roberts went on to say that “the key areas in which the Foundation intends to focus include Arts and Culture, Sports, Seniors, Youth, Health and Wellness.”
The criteria at this time is that projects must have a business case developed, there must be a minimum of $5,000 raised to begin work with the Foundation, and the project should be completed within a 10 year window. The Foundation Board will review all applications to ensure they meet the Foundation’s eligibility requirements.
“This is a great opportunity for our Foundation area residents to get behind a project that is dear to them, and in doing so be eligible for a Charitable Donation receipt which is eligible for income tax purposes. This allows more dollars to be able to flow to projects by providing a potential tax saving to the donor”, Roberts continued.
Mr. Roberts also thanked the individuals who have had a hand as the inaugural Board of Directors, including Isaac Achal, Patrick Bergen, Jennifer Berry, Steve Grande, Stu Hutchison, Bill Quinney, Christopher Steeves and Ted Ulmer. Roberts said “without the support of the Board the creation of the Foundation would not have been possible.”
The Annual General Meeting on May 7th is to elect a new Board of Directors for the Foundation. Those individuals who have agreed to be shareholders are welcome to attend, as are persons who are interested in learning more about the Foundation.
Roberts went on to say “we are looking for a great turnout on May 7th, as we elect our Board of Directors and to be able to document our progress in the journey to becoming a functioning Foundation for the residents of Chestermere and area.”
Visit their website at www.chestermere.foundation.com where all projects will be identified, and on-going information about meeting the funding goals is provided. There is also an easy “button” to push to allow for on-line donations to be made.
Contact Don Roberts by email at djrroberts@telus.net for more information.
