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Community foundations help build cities and towns: Hepburn by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver 11 | Friday, July 4, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Community foundations do important work -- they distribute funds to local charities while building collaborative relationships. Bob Hepburn, Toronto Star columnist and director of communications and community relations, spoke to their impact in his recent keynote address at the Oakville Community Foundation's (OCF) 19th annual general meeting. "It's time to get re-engaged with your community, get engaged with city-building, communitybuilding and civic engagement. Be a catalyst for collaboration. There are ways for community foundations, from Toronto to Oakville, to be engaged for years to come," said Hepburn. Hepburn noted the Star has ties, both formal and informal, with community foundations, including the OCF , Toronto Community Foundation (TCF), and other charitable institutions. He said the organizations strengthen communities by partnering with donors to build permanent endowments. The Star works closely with community foundations because they "highlight our complementary nature," the columnist said. "We don't think of ourselves as just a newspaper, we think of ourselves as a community partner. We want to be involved and make a difference." He then spoke to his media outlet's efforts. "The Star, as a corporation and through the volunteer efforts of many of our employees, has played an important role in helping the Toronto Community Foundation achieve its goals," said Hepburn. Over the last 30 years, TCF has become a ma- jor foundation shaping the City of Toronto," Hepburn explained. "The foundation in Toronto sees its mission as connecting philanthropy with community needs and opportunities to ensure the vitality of Toronto," said Hepburn. In 2000, TCF wanted to become a city-builder and developed a strategic plan that Bob Hepburn took a "long, hard look at itself," said Hepburn. A research team set out to do ground-breaking research about the city, resulting in the group's first Vital Signs report in 2001. Vital Signs provides a snapshot of the trends in Toronto, Hepburn explained, which highlight its progress and problems that need to be addressed. "The Toronto (Community) Foundation has repositioned itself from simply being a group that spends all of its time allotting money. It also played this other role in becoming the dominant player in city-building in Toronto," said Hepburn, noting 35 communities across Canada have also adopted Vital Signs reports. He said the Star works with TCF to get its "sto- ry out," assisting with writing, editing, producing and distributing the eight-page Vital Signs report each year. The foundation's next Vital Signs report is to be released in October. "Through it, we tell the story of what's happening in each of the areas the report examines. The Foundation uses that report to identify the areas of greatest need where donors' dollars can do the most good in the most efficient way." The journalist also discussed the Star's Atkinson Principles and how former editor Joseph Atkinson used the newspaper to champion social causes. He compared it to the work of community foundations. "Whether the focus was on neighbourhoods, the city as a whole, the province or (country), Atkinson believed the truest measure of progress is how communities support and provide opportunities to the disadvantaged," said Hepburn. "It was through these heartbreaking stories that Atkinson created the emotional connections needed to galvanize calls to action." Following Hepburn's presentation, the OCF announced its new Vital Grants Fund, which is part of The Governor General's Smart and Caring Communities initiative. The fund provides multi-year funding to a program or charity to help participants become financially independent. "We aspire to move beyond symptomatic relief and transform people (so) they are no longer reliant on our social service agencies and become proud and self-supporting members of our community," said OCF CEO Rusty Baillie. The first Vital Grants Fund recipient is Home Suite Hope (HSH) and its Homeward Bound Halton program. The foundation, Halton Region and Sheridan College are working collaboratively to bring Homeward Bound to the region. The OCF will fund a college education for the initial group of five single mothers during a three-year period. Starting this fall, OCF will contribute $4,000 towards their academic upgrading and will cover costs related to tuition, books and more for an annual total of $5,000 per year, per participant. "We embark upon the first of two new initiatives to better utilize our resources to create a better impact on people's lives and portray that we are a caring community willing to help others for their benefit," said Baillie. The second of part the Smart & Caring initiative is Vital Charity Loans, which focuses on investing in a charity's long-term growth and sustainability. Funding details will be released later this year. got fund them locally . Interlocking Tumblestone, Retaining Walls, Garden Installation, Sodding & Excavating, Call for FREE Estimate plus more Local community CROWDFUNDING Get your project funded now! (905) 827-8158 · www.rogerslandscaping.org CONCRETE · DRIVEWAYS · FRENCH CURBS · PATIOS · STEPS · WALKWAYS · GARAGE FLOORS .com SUMMER Register for HSC CAMPS at www.hsc.on.ca MY PEERS AT HSC CHALLENGE ME TO DO MY BEST. 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