This year has rolled out into a wave of changes. With the support of our dedicated Board we have found the momentum to steer the course for success. We managed our important meeting to award grants –one week before COVID-19 closed everything and meetings changed to Zoom.
The R R Smith Fund has grown through careful management of the VanCity Investment Fund/R R Smith. We are now able to direct contributions directly to this fund with VanCity producing a tax deductible receipt promptly for contributions over $20. This change took many months of negotiations, but we are satisfied with the results, which will be more efficient and less time consuming for all. Two branches deposit funds, and their funds are noted in the memo line of deposit such as: friends of…
We were able to produce business cards for each of our Board members. We updated our website page thanks to Tim Anderson.
Our grants to universities came about from the 2006 court decision which gave funds directly from BCTF to the R R Smith Foundation and enabled 6 universities to share the $150,000 and set up bursary programs in their education/PDP programs. Applications are made directly to the universities –University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, University of Northern BC, Thompson Rivers University, and Vancouver Island University.
Our grants to charitable groups working in BC or internationally are given yearly in March. Our granting of $40,000 was an exciting process where the Board discussed each application carefully. Our change to this process this year is to not require a local branch of the BCRTA to endorse the application, as this may be difficult to obtain for some of the qualified applicants.
Our Board also discussed with our lawyer about our status, and with the suggestion of the BCRTA president, we have taken off the wording ‘the charitable arm of the BCRTA’ from our advertising, as we are both independent organizations. We hope all members of the BCRTA join the R R Smith Foundation, but there is an option to opt out. The R R Smith funds are only $2.00 yearly per member.
We have now produced a two sided postcard which we hope will be widely distributed, at the AGM, Zone meetings and retirement seminars, or similar venues. This postcard explains our purpose, grants to universities, and to literacy grants in BC and internationally.
Many thanks for all the input, support and dedication of our Board, who are elected at the AGM. Members include: Barb Mikulec, Gail Chaddock-Costello, Andy Hattrick, Dave Carter, Steve Bailey, Caroline Malm, Sterling Campbell, Sarah Joyce, Karen Kilbride, Sheila Pither. We thank our lawyer for his exemplary service Anders Ouram, too.
Barb Mikulec
