Scholarship Spotlight

Did you know? The WECF has scholarship opportunities available to local students pursuing post-secondary education. The WECF works in partnership with the WECDSB and the GECDSB to provide scholarships annually.

 
Brooke Guyett of Comber was a recipient of the WECF’s Gale & Irene Taylor Scholarship in 2015: “This past year I had the honour of accepting the Gale and Irene Taylor Scholarship. Growing up in Comber has made me the person I am today, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. Thanks to the community’s support, I am currently attending the school of my dreams: University of Guelph. I am grateful for everything the community has to offer, and for helping me reach my goals. Thank you again!” – Brooke

 
The Gale & Irene Taylor Scholarship Fund was established in 1999 in memory of Irene Taylor. Irene was a Comber resident before moving to the Detroit area with her husband, Gale. After Irene’s passing in 1994, the Fund was established at the WindsorEssex Community Foundation by Irene’s daughter to support students living in Comber who are graduating from Belle River District High School or Tillbury District High School with the goal of attending post-secondary school.

 

To learn more about the scholarship programs offered at the WECF, or the many different ways you can work with your community foundation to give back to Windsor-Essex, please visit www.wecf.ca‪

 

KidStart Grant Applications are Now Open

Attention Teachers, Principals, and other Elementary School Administration: the WECF is currently accepting applications for the KidStart Grant Program from now until January 18th! Individual classrooms from JK to Grade 8 can apply for up to $500 in funding for projects. Contact ksolcz@wecf.ca to receive an application. Visit www.wecf.ca for more information on this and other programs offered at the WECF ‪#‎inspiringphilanthropy‬

The WindsorEssex Community Foundation needs your photos!

Submit your photos of Windsor and Essex County for a chance to be published in this year’s Vital Signs report on October 6th in the Windsor Star. Details can be found on the Foundation’s website http:/ / http://www.wecf.ca/ Please submit your photos to info@wecf.ca

Submit your photos of Windsor and Essex County for an opportunity to appear in the 2015 Vital Signs® report!

Submit your photos of Windsor and Essex County for an opportunity to appear in the 2015 Vital Signs® report!

Guidelines to submit:

• Photos must be taken in the Windsor-Essex region
• The photos must correspond to at least one of the quality of life issue areas outlined in the 2015 Vital Signs® report (listed below)
• You may submit up to five photos per person
• Email your photos to info@wecf.ca with the subject line “Vital Signs Photo Submission.” Please include your full name, where you live in Windsor-Essex  when each photo was taken, where  each photo was taken, and then tell us which quality of life issue area each photo corresponds to

Vital Signs® 2015 Quality of Life Issue Areas:

Environment
Safety
Getting Around
Health, Wellness & Activity
Learning
Housing
Arts & Culture
Belonging & Leadership
Work
Getting Started
Food Security

Pictures will be selected based on their originality, quality, and relevancy to the quality of life issue areas. Those that are chosen will appear in the 2015 Vital Signs® report published by the Windsor Star on October 6, 2015.

*** By submitting your photos to the Foundation, you are consenting to the Foundation using your photos in the 2015 Vital Signs® report. The Foundation will not use your photos for any other purposes. You will be contacted by the Foundation if your photos have been chosen ***

WindsorEssex Community Foundation Launches 2015 Vital Signs® Survey!

Today we launched the 2015 Vital Signs® Survey. We are asking you to take the survey and let your voice be heard.The purpose of the Vital Signs® Survey is to collect data of Windsor-Essex residents’ views of local issues affecting their community. The results from this survey are combined with local and national data to provide residents with an all-encompassing “community check-up” on important issue areas affecting their community. The results from this survey will be used to construct the Vital Signs® Report, which will be released on October 6, 2015, highlighting local trends, with the intent to engage our community in the on-going dialogue about who we are, what we do, why we do it, and where it can lead. The Vital Signs® Report is the voice of the Windsor-Essex Community. Inspiring Philanthropy to Benefit our Community Today and Forever.

For completing the 2015 Vital Signs® Survey, you will have a chance to win a cash prize of 100 dollars. In order to be entered for a chance to win, you must first complete the survey, and then at the end of the survey you will be asked to provide your first name, e-mail address, and phone number.

Please visit www.wecf.ca to take the survey. Paper copies are also available by contacting the Foundation office 519-255-6572

WECF Launches Youth Committee

The WindsorEssex Community Foundation is excited to launch its very own Youth Committee! The Foundation is looking for young leaders in the Windsor-Essex community between the ages of 12 to 18 to invest in their community. For an application please visit http://www.wecf.ca, or call 519-255-6572

For over 30 years the Community Foundation has been managing legacy funds, making grants to support local charities, and bringing community partners together.
“Inspiring philanthropy to benefit our community today and forever” #Inspiringphilanthropy

New Club Inspires Philanthropy

Written by Craig Pearson (The Windsor Star)

New club aims to have 100 people donate total of $2.5 million

It’s an exclusive club with a twist — not about networking but giving. The newly launched Inspiration 100 seeks to assemble a group of philanthropists who commit to giving $25,000 over 10 years for a total of $2.5 million.The brainchild of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, the Inspiration 100 will help the community many ways — in perpetuity. The $2.5 million will help boost the Community Foundation’s endowment fund, which already stands at more than $12 million and provides grants every year to a wide range of local charitable efforts. “The benefit of this will be huge,” said Marty Solcz, past chair of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation who came up with the idea. “There are infinite possibilities.”

The Inspiration 100 concept is simple: members agree to donate $2,500 a year for 10 years, or $20,000 up front. The group then meets every year to decide how to give out the money. The capital will remain in the endowment but the interest on investments — Solcz said the Community Foundation averages about six per cent growth a year — is available to boost local charities. Solcz hopes to franchise the concept to other community foundations — 195-strong across Canada — which would share the fun and even bring in a little more locally. Solcz’s goal for Inspiration 100 stretches further than just raising money in a unique way. He hopes to increase awareness about the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, which has a strange problem for something that has been doling out cash for three decades: it’s not that well-known. “Most community foundations have the same problem we do, which is people often don’t know about us,” said Solcz, chairman of the Solcz Group which includes Valiant Corp. “So we believe if we can get 100 people intimately involved with the foundation through Inspiration 100, they will spread the good word about us.”

Gabrielle Smith/The Windsor Star

Ross Clarke, left, and Marty Solcz show Inspiration 100 merchandise

In 1983, Mayor Bert Weeks, Charles Clark Sr., and Clifford Hatch Sr., established Heritage Windsor, the beginning of the local Community Foundation. Originally, the philanthropic group focused on improving the riverfront, though charitable funding soon grew.Besides providing grants, the WindsorEssex Community Foundation runs local initiatives such as Random Act of Kindness Day and Vital Signs, which takes the pulse of the community. Inspiration 100 is the latest do-good effort. “There are people out there who would like to be part of a group that does big things,” said Solcz, whose family has a history of philanthropy. “With Inspiration 100 you get a new community. You will be warmly welcomed into the company of 99 other like-minded individuals who have philanthropic ideas and want to do it a lot bigger than they could themselves.”

When interest on investment is factored in, Solcz hopes the Inspiration 100 money will grow to $3 million or $3.5 million in 10 years. Solcz has worked on his big idea since last year, when he first started making presentations on it. Inspiration 100 was only officially launched a week ago, however, but already has 12 members. One of those is Ross Clarke, owner of Clarke Surveyors, who liked the idea instantly.“I heard about it through a presentation Marty Solcz did at Rotary 1918,” Clarke said. “I was impressed with what they wanted to do. And Marty should be congratulated for making it happen. It’s a great initiative.”

If you would like to be a part of this exclusive opportunity to support our community, or would like more information about the Foundation, please contact us today at 519-255-6572 or e-mail info@wecf.ca

Posted by Kyrsten

Spotlighting our Impact

2014 Fast-Track Recipient – Canadian Mental Health Association: “Youth Summit”

The WindsorEssex Community Foundation granted $1,000.00 to the Mental Health Association to aid in the “Mental Health Youth Summit” event held on Thursday, November 20, 2014 at the Ciociaro Club in Windsor, involving 300 local high school students.

The event included group talk on topics such as substance abuse, anxiety and depression, with the goal of encouraging conversation about mental health and to reduce stigma. Other activities throughout the event included yoga, writing, dance, and music with the intention of demonstrating the many ways of helping to cope with mental illness.

Kim Willis (Senior Manager, Fund Development and Community Engagement) noted, “I cannot stress enough how amazing it was…great example of a collaborative effort in this community.”

The WindsorEssex Community Foundation was pleased to be part of such an innovative and successful event.

Posted by Kyrsten

 

Community Impact Grants Awarded at the WECF Annual General Meeting November 2014

On Monday, November 24^th the WindsorEssex Community Foundation held its Annual General Meeting. This night included the cheque presentation of the Community Impact Grants. Each year many different organizations apply to us for a Community Impact Grant, which provides funding up to $15,000.00. This year we received 50 applications overall. Unfortunately we’re not able to fund every project, so deciding which ones to select is never an easy task. We received a lot of truly great applications that involved very impressive and impactful projects for the Windsor and Essex County region, so we encourage all those who did not receive funding this year, to re-apply again in the next year. Applications for the Community Impact Grants will be available during July 2015.

On Monday, Glenn Stresman officially passed over the reigns to  Lisa Kolody as our new Executive Director. As well, Marty D. Solcz passed his chairmanship over to Fred Quenneville as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. Marty will still remain on the Board of Directors to fulfill his duty as Past-Chairman, taking over Susan A. Easterbrook’s position as she officially retired from her place on the Board.

2014 Community Impact Grant Recipients:

FIREHORSE LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION $15,000.00

MARYVALE CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH CENTRE $15,000.00

WINDSOR RESIDENCE FOR YOUNG MEN $15,000.00

ARTS COUNCIL WINDSOR & REGION $10,000.00

CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION $10,000.00

ALZHEIMER SOCIETY OF WINDSOR & ESSEX COUNTY $6,000.00

CANADIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND (CNIB WINDSOR) $5,000.00

FORGOTTEN HARVEST CANADA $5,000.00

WINDSOR ESSEX COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME $5,000.00

CONNECTIONS AN EARLY YEARS FAMILY CENTRE INC. $4,000.00

For more information on our grant programs, please visit: http://www.wecf.ca/grants.html

Also, please check out our article in the Windsor Star: http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/with-more-than-5-2-million-in-grants-foundation-keeps-on-giving

Featured in the picture above from left to right is Marty D. Solcz (Past-Chairman of the Board of Directors), Lisa Kolody (WECF Executive Director), Glenn Stresman (Past Executive Director), and Fred Quenneville (Chairman of the Board of Directors)

Special thanks to the Windsor Star for their article, and Snap’d Windsor for these photos.

Posted by Kyrsten

Why Do We Have Random Act of Kindness Day™?

On November 7^th, 2014 the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, and the Windsor and Essex County community as a whole, took part in Random Act of Kindness Day™. If you are not already familiar with “RAK Day”, it is a day in which the WindsorEssex Community Foundation encourages individuals from around the community to engage in acts of kindness. This could involve many different things, such as holding a door open for someone, to donating sports equipment to local schools, buying someone a coffee, or giving someone a compliment. No matter how small or big the acts are, they all have one common denominator: kindness. Such a simple concept, but over and over again I hear from individuals: “Random Act of Kindness Day™? I do random acts of kindness all the time!” Usually followed up by: “why do we need a day to tell people to be kind if we’re already doing this?” The answer is simple. The point of Random Act of Kindness Day™ is merely intended to celebrate doing kind acts for others in our community, and at the same time, encouraging others to “pay it forward”. Like any other special day we celebrate in our community, Random Act of Kindness Day™ serves as a tiny reminder for the rest of the year. Our lives may get busy throughout the year, but on November 7^th we are reminded to be kind and to pay it forward.

Posted by Kyrsten