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 ***

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

 

The Community Foundation – A Great Place to Leave A Legacy!

WECF Communications Coordinator, Mike Morency, came across the tag line, “A Great Place to Leave A Legacy” while doing some research in preparing our annual “Leave A Legacy” ad. The slogan is now part of our ad.

I was taken by the phrase when I first saw it a couple of weeks ago and it continues to resonate with me; a mark of its effectiveness. I am excited to use it because it is a great reminder that we need to plan well when we draft our Last Will and Testament.

Your final instructions in your Will are exactly that – final. So, we need to take into account as many of the variables as we possibly can when we make those final instructions. Here’s an example. You are passionate about helping cure a specific disease, so you establish an endowment fund for treatment for those afflicted by the disease and research to find a cure. What if the disease is cured? Impossible, you say? How about tuberculosis and all of the TB sanitoriums that used to be around — all gone because of better treatment options. I’m a Rotarian and our vision is to eradicate polio – we are so close. If it happens, what to do with endowment funds established strictly for the eradication of polio?

How then can your final instructions establish a legacy that will be flexible enough to handle an ever changing world? Establishing a donor advised fund at a community foundation will do that. As the world changes, the fund advisor you appointed in your Will continues the conversation with the Community Foundation, ensuring that your legacy fund’s annual grants really do make a difference in the WindsorEssex community of the future. That is why the WindsorEssex Community Foundation is a great place to leave a legacy.

Sincerely

Glenn

Glenn Stresman is the Executive Director of the WindsorEssex Community Foundation and has over 20 years experience in both writing and evaluating grant applications.

New Website and Blog

WindsorEssex Community Foundation launches new website and “Charitable Thoughts” Blog!  Check it out at http://www.wecf.ca

The website features an interactive photo/video gallery, snap-shots of grants we have provided, a log-in for grant seekers and information on the Foundation and how to get involved in our community.  The site is fully integrated with our social media portals, an interactive community calendar and our newly created BLOG – Charitable Thoughts.

BLOG “Charitable Thoughts”: will be updated monthly with articles relevant to the non-profit community in Windsor-Essex.  Glenn Stresman, Foundation Executive Director, board members and other select community leaders will provide content of interest to donors and community leaders.