A sizable donation will lead to the creation of a preschool building at Kerry Wood Nature Centre in Red Deer.
The Community Foundation of Central Alberta has announced that a donor has made a $500,000 donation of securities to fund the new building. A donation of securities, or mutual fund shares, is considered to be the most efficient way to give charitably, according to CanadaHelps — with a donation of securities or mutual funds, capital gains tax does not apply, allowing people give more and avoid paying capital gains taxes.
The vision for the new preschool building includes floor-to-ceiling glass doors, bathrooms, a kitchen, and modern building and insulating technology to give the building a small environmental footprint. The hope is that this new space will help the little attendees grow into adults who value nature and the outdoors.
Todd Nivens, executive director of the Waskasoo Environmental, said he's encouraged by the community support and the value that a donor has seen in creating a special anchoring place, specifically for our young nature explorers to call their own.
“We can offer potential donors the opportunity to make a lasting impact on children and nature in Red Deer. With the Community Foundation of Central Alberta in our corner, we are able to work with all potential partners and offer them a range of options to support our efforts,” said Nivens.
The Community Foundation was "instrumental in facilitating this $500,000 gift from the donor," Nivens added.
“We do not have the financial infrastructure to convert shares to cash. The Community Foundation stepped in and charted the path forward for us. Without the Foundation, the final transaction between (the Waskasoo Environmental Education Society) and our donors would have been immeasurably more difficult,” he said.
Erin Peden, executive director of the Community Foundation, said the facilitation of this donation proves to be "an excellent example of the role the Community Foundation was created to play."
“Our job is to connect philanthropists with the causes that matter to them, and in this case, it was as simple as providing a resource to accept marketable securities and flow those funds through to the project in need," said Peden.
“We are thrilled to continue to develop these types of relationships within Central Alberta. ... What a joy it is to see such incredible projects thrive.”
For more information on the Community Foundation of Central Alberta, visit www.rddcf.ca.
