By Kirsten Rouse
In the fall of 2010, Peter and Cindy Bartlett tragically lost their young son Andrew. The close-knit family from St. Andrews, New Brunswick, had strong ties to the community and every single resident mourned the loss. While the loss was unexpected and devastating to the family, Peter and Cindy made the thoughtful decision to honour and preserve their son’s memory by setting up a fund in his name with the Fundy Community Foundation, a small foundation based in St. Andrews that serves southwestern rural New Brunswick. In addition to donations made by family and friends, Cindy and Peter initiated an annual golf tournament to raise money and awareness. Thanks to their passionate work and determination, the Andrew Bartlett Memorial Scholarship Fund is now large enough to provide scholarships to two students graduating from a local high school each year. Together, the Bartlett family has created a legacy that will positively impact young people for many years to come.
The Bartlett’s story is just one example of the important and heartfelt work of the Fundy Community Foundation (FCF). As a registered charity and a public foundation, FCF fills the charitable gap between local support and local needs. The mechanics of what we do are quite simple; We accept donations, pool them together to invest them wisely and then issue grants from the earnings. In other words, Community Foundations connect donors with needs and opportunities and have done so since the first Community Foundation was established in Canada in 1921.
Unlike other granting organizations, the spectrum of projects supported by Community Foundations is broad. We recognize that mental health and affordable housing are pressing social issues today, but our foundations also see value in a beach clean-up project, a local school breakfast program, an accessible park bench or even a historic display case. These are all worthwhile community initiatives that make our communities special.
Many of the volunteer organizations supported by FCF appear to survive on volunteer sweat and the kindness of strangers. If we can help these volunteer organizations by telling their story, that’s something we want to do. If we can further help them by talking to donors about setting up a fund to benefit them forever, we want to do that too.
Here are a few more Fundy Community Foundation Stories of Inspiration:
New Funds to Hit the Road: Charlotte Dial A Ride recently established an endowed fund with FCF. This fund will provide valuable and stable support for their ongoing operational costs. As volunteer John Castell will tell you, the Dial A Ride concept grew from a Fundy Community Foundation led community dialogue in 2005. The need for local transportation was identified and the organization has not looked back. Since its inception, Dial a Ride has provided more than 80,000 rides to people who do not have safe and reliable transportation. Their model has been replicated around the Atlantic Provinces.
In our Rural Schools: FCF was able to support the expansion of Bee Me Kidz to a local school in 2021. BMK focuses on teaching a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum to at-risk elementary school-aged children and their parents. This program teaches individuals how to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions and research has shown that developing these skills can result in improved mental health, academic performance, and relationships within families. This group was able to have an immediate impact on the lives of 60 families during a very difficult pandemic year.
Families, Legacies and Scholarships: Wes Welch grew up on Deer Island, New Brunswick developing a passion for the Island and for the sea that stayed with him his entire life. After his passing and to honour his memory and his devotion to this part of the world, Wes’s son Ralph used a portion of his father’s estate to set up the H.W. (Wes) Welch Family Scholarship which is awarded each year to a graduating student at Fundy High School. The Welch family of Deer Island grew and grandson, David, now stands as the fund advisor for this Scholarship. We love the connection that David and his family have with this area and FCF is honoured to be the stewards of this Scholarship Fund for them.
Ambassadors in the Community: Many people know Alan Dunfield from his time as Principal of the local middle school. The After School Activity Program was Alan’s brainchild; by carving out 45 minutes from the school day and gathering volunteers to help, one local school was able to offer every child the chance to try a new activity each month including photography, soccer, cooking, and philanthropy. Yes, philanthropy! Alan was part of a group who created the Youth in Philanthropy Fund with FCF that still exists to this day. Proceeds from the fund are disbursed by student representatives from each middle and high school in Southwestern New Brunswick. This early introduction to the concept of giving back is sure to stay with these young people forever.
Bringing help closer to home: The Sophia Recovery Centre celebrated the opening of their satellite centre in one of our communities last year. One of their key programs “Beyond Trauma” is designed to help women and girls move beyond addiction. This program is now offered to women and girls, ages 18 and older who have experienced addiction themselves or those who live in households where substance use disorder is or has been a significant influence. We were pleased to be able to support their good work through our Community Grants Program.
Serving the underserved: The Dragonfly Centre for Autism Inc. is an amazing resource for children and young adults on the autism spectrum. Their summer camp program located in St. Andrews provides music therapy, socialization opportunities and physical activities with one-on-one support for those in attendance. FCF helps with annual disbursements from a designated fund established by a local family. This investment will benefit the Dragonfly Centre with financial support every single year.
At the heart of most Community Foundations are endowed funds which are permanent gifts given to a Community Foundation to use as needed. But Community Foundations are also a trusted source of information for philanthropy. We take pride in the active cultivation and nurturing of new ideas. While we are not a front-line service provider, we remain focused on amplifying the good work happening all around us and helping in any way we can.
Kirsten Rouse is Executive Director of the Fundy Community Foundation.
About Us
Fundy Community Foundation (FCF) was established in 1993 as the first rural community foundation in Canada. We are now one of 191 foundations across the country working to better the lives of people in our community. We serve the people of southwestern New Brunswick by connecting donors with community needs and opportunities.
As a registered charity and proud member of Community Foundations of Canada, we have been working with groups and individuals to establish funds in support of the causes most meaningful to them for more than 25 years. FCF pools the charitable gifts of many donors into an income earning fund. Grants are disbursed from the earnings on this fund.
Funds can be established by families, individuals, or groups. They can be set up today or as part of a legacy in a will. Our grants support a wide range of not-for-profit initiatives for health and wellness, education, social services, environment, animal welfare, arts, culture, and heritage.
In 2021, we disbursed $264,000 in grants and scholarships in rural southwestern New Brunswick. That support impacted thirty-three students and fifty-one non-profit groups or charities. Our current assets total $8.6 million.
Through great transparency and trust, we remain reputable stewards of community resources.
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