By rdnewsNOW Staff

$60,000 funding collaboration

Red Deer & District Community Foundation creates endowment with Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre

Jan 25, 2023 | 3:05 PM

The Red Deer & District Community Foundation (RDDCF) announced their recent contribution of $30,000 to Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre in the form of an endowment.

Aspire is a charity organization providing aid for children with special needs, their families, and their communities.

In addition, the RDDCF confirmed that the charity also contributed $30,000 to the “Aspire’s Fee Assistance Endowment”, giving the Centre an initial $60,000 endowment that will generate yearly disbursements to provide consistency and sustainability.

The RDDCF says they have focused on innovative and community-minded initiatives to help agencies secure sustainable funding solutions for the future.

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“We have been seeing grant applications from Aspire since 2014,” said Erin Peden, RDDCF Executive Director. “And each and every time, the adjudication committee was left feeling like this is an absolutely essential program for central Alberta. So, with an eye towards sustainability, we arranged a conversation with Aspire to see if we could work collaboratively to build an endowment fund.”

The RDDCF states the Endowment was created to support Aspire’s desire to have a long-term solution to meet the ongoing needs of the children and families they serve. Aspire’s Fee Assistance Program aims to ensure that Aspire can provide barrier-free access to their programs and services for all children and families, regardless of their financial situation.

“We jumped on board right away with the Community Foundation,” said Aspire’s Executive Director, JoAnne Hayden. “This endowment will help us to develop consistency, allowing us to fulfill our goal of supporting families that need our services today, as well as the families who will need our services in the future.”

The Aspire Fee Assistance Endowment is scheduled to begin generating investment income in 2023 and will be used annually for families needing financial support. Aspire says they hope to grow this fund through donations, with the ultimate goal of having the disbursement cover the full needs of families seeking access.

“As community members recognize that they want to make long term impact, they can contribute to this fund and then the investment income will also grow, which means more and more families will be able to access financial support,” said Peden.

With the creation of this endowment, Aspire and the Community Foundation say they are collaborating on a forward-thinking, sustainable funding solution.

”It was about knowing that we have a sense of security, not only for us but for our families,” said Hayden.

Donors interested in contributing to Aspire’s Fee Assistance Endowment Fund are encouraged to contact Melissa Vine at Aspire or Erin Peden at the RDDCF.