Thank you all for a very successful 2012 and welcome to 2013. This newsletter is a follow-up from our dinner in the fall regarding our efforts to build Calgary’s “Chinook Lesbian and Gay Fund”.
We held our 2nd Annual Fundraising Dinner on 25th October 2012 at Pulcinella Restaurant in Kensington. We set ourselves a target of finishing the evening having reached the $100,000 mark in terms of the total fund. We are thrilled to announce that we exceeded our goal by having raised about $42,000.00 from donations by attendees at the dinner, on-line donations from supporters who could not come, and from the committee. Our dinner guests were incredibly generous, with the 50 in attendance giving about $25,000. Thanks to you, our fund balance is just over $104,000.
On behalf of the steering committee of the Chinook Lesbian and Gay Fund, I want to thank all who attended for their participation in this years fundraising dinner, and also many thanks to those donors who were not able to attend the event. We are glad to report that the cost of the event was paid from the remaining surplus funds from the North American Outgames held in Calgary a few year ago. This means 100% of your donation will therefore be deposited into the Calgary Foundations account being invested by them for our Fund. By now you should have received a charitable receipt for the entire amount of your donation issued by from The Calgary Foundation (note should you have any questions about your receipt please contact Kelly Ernst at kellyernst@telus.net ). We also wish to thank Pulcinella and their staff for their professional, friendly and efficient service.
This year the income from the Fund enabled us to issue two grants to help young people, after much debating as to who the recipients should be this year. The first grant was to assist the establishment of a “Camp Fyrefly” in Calgary. This is Canada’s largest, volunteer-based, summer leadership retreat for sexual minority and gender variant (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans- identified, two-spirited, intersexed, queer, questioning) and allied youth http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca/index.htm . The second grant was issued to help pay part of the cost of the “Inside Out” youth peer support group which is run by Outlinks http://calgaryoutlink.ca/insideout-youth/ .
The amounts we were able to donate were $1500 to each organization, however the additional donations received at this years dinner should allow our Fund’s grants to increase by about 65% next year. We hope as the Fund grows to be able to provide more meaningful amounts to other worthy causes. It is important to stress that the principle is never touched; the grants come from the income generated by the Fund, making this truly a gift that keeps on giving. We do plan on continuing to keep our donors informed about the Chinook Fund through a periodic news email and by posting information on our website, found at http://www.calgarychinookfund.ca/ . We absolutely encourage your further involvement with the Fund as well as your assistance in informing others about it.
For those of you hearing about the Chinook Fund for the first time, or those inclined to provide ongoing support, we remind you donations can also be made to the Fund either through the Calgary Foundation (https://payment.csfm.com/donations/calgaryfoundation/) or directed to the Fund through the United Way Annual Campaign (direct your donation through the Calgary Foundation to the “Chinook Lesbian and Gay Fund”).
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to introduce the Chinook Fund to a growing circle of supporters and donors.
Although most people receiving this newsletter will be aware of our existence and probably attended our October fundraiser, please feel free to forward this notice to friends and loved ones that you think might be interested in learning more about our efforts.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Harvey, M.D.Volunteer, Chinook Fund Advisory Committee