The Anguilla Community Foundation (ACF) recently held its Annual General Meeting. Attendees included members of the Foundation’s Board, donors and grantees.
Chair of the Board, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, presented the President’s report. She explained that the ACF is primarily a pool of permanently endowed funds contributed by individuals, families and businesses. These funds are used to support charitable and community programmes in the long term. With endowed funds, only interest earnings on the principal are used in supporting the charities and community programmes. The principal exists forever — in perpetuity — which is why the Foundation can promise to be a supporter of local charities and community programmes for all time. Today the Foundation has over $700,000 under management. Of this total, over $600,000 is in endowed funds.
In addition to the endowed funds, the ACF created the Anguilla Cares campaign. The proceeds of an Anguilla Cares campaign go toward providing grants within a year to 18 months of being donated. The grants can be made to any charity or community organization that applies and has a good cause. This initiative has allowed the Foundation to provide immediate grants despite the fact that the Endowment Fund has not reached the level whereby large grants can be provided from the interest alone. Over the last four years the ACF has given over US$120,000 in grants from non-endowed funds.
Dr. Richardson-Lake tied this grant-making to the Foundation’s mission which includes:
? fostering a culture of giving, sharing and social responsibility;
? strengthening the viability of organizations through monetary grants, collaboration and technical assistance;
? accessing funds and other resources of the local and global economy; and
? providing means for donors to express their charitable spirit.
Treasurer, Mr. Perin Bradley, presented the Anguilla Community Foundation’s audited financial statements and provided more details on the Foundation’s finances. Founding Director of the Board, Mrs Carrolle Devonish, delivered the Foundation’s Grant Report. Mrs Devonish reported to the attendees that: “…we fund CLASP, the summer programme at our local library. In our mission to serve children, youth and families we have supported both Beautiful Girls and the Taekwondo programmes. This year we made a decision to increase our grant support to early childhood programmes through the Teacher Noonie Fund. During the past four years we have partnered with David Small, a US donor, providing the vehicle for donating to local projects for school children. A grant to the poetry effort of the Department of Youth and Culture provided printing support. In another donor partnership, we have supported the Marine Museum effort in Island Harbour. Grants have gone to the Health Authority, Department of Probation and the Department of Education for projects. Our support often enables additional support from other sources bringing added resources to village and island-wide communities. All of this made possible because locals and visitors know that community projects are strengthened by donor support.” Mrs. Devonish went on to say that “we have also been able to provide scholarship support to Anguillian students in their college endeavors – this made possible by committed residents, including those who have made Anguilla home — residents who have taken the needs of Anguilla as their own.”
The attendees at the AGM also heard from one of ACF’s grant recipients, Ms Dawne Richardson, representing the Beautiful Girls Programme. Ms Richardson thanked the Foundation for providing funding to support the Beautiful Girls Programme, a programme designed to build self-esteem, educate and empower young girls aged 13-17 in the community.
Mrs Melinda Goddard spoke as a representative of the donor community. For years Mrs Godard has made annual contributions to the Anguilla Community Foundation to enable children, who may not otherwise be able to afford it, to participate in Taekwondo. She spoke of the importance of the discipline and direction that participation in Taekwondo provides, and encouraged others to donate to this very impactful project.
Dr Delroy Louden, immediate Past President of the Anguilla Community College — with whom the Anguilla Community Foundation has a Memorandum of Understanding — presented the Foundation with a cheque in the amount of $25,000 towards the establishment of the Delroy M Louden Endowment Fund. This fund will be established within the Anguilla Community Foundation and will provide monies for full time faculty of the Anguilla Community College to conduct research and to pursue professional development.
The meeting closed with a special presentation to founding Board Director, Mrs Carrolle Devonish, who spearheaded the creation of the Anguilla Community Foundation back in 1999. She was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a lifetime Directorship on the Board of the Anguilla Community Foundation. Board Member Mrs Rhona Richardson-Roydon delivered the Vote of Thanks.
The Anguilla Community Foundation would like to extend its sincere gratitude to all donors and is grateful for their continued support.
– Contributed
