Opportunity Changes Everything

March 31st 2023 represented the end of a year of solid recovery for BGC Kawarthas Foundation after the upheaval of COVID-19 and its impact on fundraising, allowing us to make a substantial contribution to the Club to support its mission.

Our President has spoken about the success of our events, both in raising dollars and awareness about what we do. They endure because of the continued partnership of businesses in our community, the hundreds of attendees who purchase tickets and enthusiastically participate, and the champions who contribute their passion to these projects.

I’d like to personally thank Jeff Beukeboom who continues to represent our golf tournament –now going on year 29, the many Dream Ball volunteers who contributed hundreds of hours to create a Night in Wonderland, and the adjudicators of our Youth Awards who made the difficult decisions in our judging process.

We were especially fortunate at our 3rd Annual Kawartha Lakes Youth Awards to feature 3 amazing guests – the 2021 National Youth of the Year for BGC Canada, Valentina Shamoun, and two of the original boys who joined Ron Kennedy’s Club in 1970 that later became BGC Kawarthas. Pat McNaney and Perry Fretz both confirmed in their own words, that without Ron, they wouldn’t be alive today. From their stories, we learned that the values and goals Ron brought to the early days of our Club are still true today: “For us it was a place to go and be safe and to have fun…I believe without the loving caring people and the opportunities Ron and his family presented, I wouldn’t be here today,” said Perry Fretz.

Our events are the highest profile fundraising activities, but the Foundation continues to rely on its major gift program to make strategic investments in Club programs and services where funding is needed. Long-time supporters, the Otto and Marie Pick Foundation, continued their support of our Youth Dinner program; Wards Lawyers donated $30,000 to help us develop our Youth Outreach program; and the Kiwanis Club of Scott’s Plains added $5,000 to their 2-year total of $25,000 to support our Peterborough After School programs.

We were also fortunate to receive two legacy gifts to help fill some of the extraordinary needs of our Club. Earl Manley, a loyal supporter of the work we do, provided a major gift of $50,000 in memory of his son Hugh Manley who was tragically killed in an accident.

The families of Dom and John Fox donated more than $100,000 from the Estate of Dom Fox to the Club to support current and future needs. $36,000 was used to cover the costs of lighting the new skatepark and the remainder is designated to support sports programs over the coming years. Dom Fox was a longtime supporter of the Club and a generous citizen of Lindsay. His family continues to build on his legacy with their generous support of BGC and other organizations in our communities.

A sincere thank you to our amazing Board of Directors who were called upon this year to help us develop a new 5-year strategic plan which will set the Club and Foundation up for success, and our staff who make it all look easy.

Whether someone purchases a ticket to an event, donates a prize for one of our auctions, or provides a major gift to directly support needs at the Club, we are so grateful for the generous individuals and businesses in our community. Without them, we would not be able to meet the needs of children, youth and families. And as we like to say, Opportunity Changes Everything.