A new permanent fund established by Osprey Community Foundation aims to support students at Nelson’s high school.
The fund has been seeded with $3000 from L.V. Rogers secondary school’s 2013 graduating committee.
Future graduating committees will be invited to donate money left over after their grad festivities. Alumni groups holding class reunions at the school will also be encouraged to leave a legacy by contributing to the fund.
Earnings from the L.V Rogers School Legacy Fund will be used by the school for two purposes. One is to give a financial leg up to vulnerable or financially disadvantaged students. This support could involve anything from a hot lunch to course materials.
Principal Tim Huttemann said that there are students from “working poor” families in Nelson that could use this financial boost.
“For example, we have one young lady that I’d love to see go to art school and we could help pay for supplies,” he said.
Support like this could give the students that extra encouragement to pursue further training after graduation.
“When they become successful in life, they could come back and hopefully donate to that fund in the future.”
A second purpose, as the fund gets larger, will be to provide a pool of money that the Grade 12 graduating class will be able to grant to worthy community initiatives as selected by the students themselves. It will seed the idea that graduation is an opportunity for students to leave a legacy to the community that has supported them.
“It’s to give back, and also to see the bigger picture about how they can help,” said Huttemann.
As is the case with all Osprey funds, donations to the LVR Legacy Fund will be endowed and never spent. The income generated each year by this permanent and growing source of capital will flow back to the school, providing benefits in perpetuity.
“Osprey’s mandate is to build a stronger, more sustainable community, and that certainly includes investing in our youth,” said Osprey’s chair, Tom Murray.
“I’d encourage any LVR alumni who are in a position to give back to think about the legacy they could leave by making a major contribution to this fund.”
This new fund adds to the support Osprey already provides local high school students. The community foundation administers a variety of bursaries and scholarships established by local residents. In addition, it has provided community grants to numerous local school projects over the years, a recent example being the Hume school adventure playground.
Osprey is a public, charitable foundation, created in 2000 by and for the people of Nelson and the surrounding area.
Donations to Osprey are pooled in a permanently-endowed fund, one that now exceeds $6 million, generating income each year that flows back to local charities and eligible organizations.
Osprey is governed by a volunteer board of directors, and is a member of Community Foundations of Canada. For further information, please go to www.ospreycommunityfoundation.ca or call 250-352-3643.