Our job is to think about the future and decide how we will become stronger and better able to serve the next generation of children and families who will depend on us for help in their most desperate moments.
A powerful instrument to help us achieve success and sustainability in serving children and families in the future is the Children's Legacy Fund.
1. Stability for existing programs:
We often times serve children who have no other options available to them. A prime example is Betty Thompson Youth Centre (BTYC). We know from experience that the limited options available to homeless youth range from unpleasant to harmful and dangerous. The Safe Haven Shelter at BTYC help to get young people off the street and often repatriate them to their families. We must sustain this crucial mission. Annual fundraising by itself cannot make up for serious and continuing funding shortfalls. Hence, there is the need for ongoing funds which could soon be provided by the Children's Legacy Fund.
2. Meeting areas of need for which there are no government dollars:
Governments will determine the priorities which will be funded. These priorities are constantly changing, with cutbacks often occurring in the areas of greatest need. As a community agency, we often identify needs which are not addressed by government funding, yet are extremely important for the well-being of our community. The Children's Legacy Fund will allow us to identify and address these needs in a stable and flexible manner.
3. Innovative new programming:
The Children's Legacy Fund would also enable us to research and develop new children's programs. For example, we may wish to fund a pilot project in a promising new area of our mission which requires an up-front investment of dollars. At times, in the past, we struggled to find funding for such initiatives (e.g. The Partners Program) and they have later become a core part of our mission.
The Children's Legacy Fund will grow through gifts from friends who honour us with unrestricted funds, life insurance policies, bequests and gifts of securities.
In each case, the principle of the gift will be invested for a minimum of ten years with earned interest being used to support our client children and their families.
Establishing such a fund asks donors to share in a long-term vision for the future of Lutherwood by developing the means to contribute to the well-being of future clients whom we have not yet met.
