The Haven Fund
Spotlight on Advisors
Continued from cover
members, to work in the garden and learn. It provides meaningful ways for students to learn mathematics, literacy and the sciences. • $3,000 - Children at Lafayette Upper Elementary School will participate in an after-school club at the Exploration Command Center at Sunshine Ballpark, one of three sites in the nation to host The JASON Project. The project, a subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, provides experience-based science curriculum, educational technology and accredited professional development opportunities to students and teachers. During the weekly visits to the command center, students will use hand-held devices to connect with oceanography scientists and researchers in real- or near-real time, virtually and physically.
Continued from cover
• $5,000 - A grant was awarded to Walker Grant Middle School to purchase digital hand-held tablets for use by 8th grade world geography students. The additional technology will enhance collaborative learning, foster student creativity and provide real world learning experience. Local developer and Celebrate Virginia South landowner Silver Companies facilitated the donation. “The establishment of this fund to support our public schools was looked upon very favorably by city council,” said Mayor Tom Tomzak. “We knew it would be correctly administered and have a long term impact through The Community Foundation.” “The things that exceptional teachers pay for out of their pockets or maybe only dream about – that’s what these grants can fund,” said Community Foundation Program Officer, Lisa Biever.
NTS Development Company set up the Trust for Public Education in the late 1990’s to benefit Spotsylvania County public school children. Whenever a lot sold at the gated golf community, a donation was made to the trust that provided funds for enrichment programs. In 2002, the trust moved its funds to The Community Foundation, realizing that they could achieve all the same charitable goals, while eliminating the work of managing such a fund.
6
“NTS is pleased to help enrich the education opportunities for the children in Spotsylvania. The Community Foundation has made it much easier for us to maintain and grow this fund over the years,” said Ralph DeRosa, President, NTS Virginia Over the last 10 years, The Community Foundation has delivered $60,000 in direct grant funds to Spotsylvania County Schools through its Trust for Public Education fund.
King George attorney Susan S. Williams set up a charitable remainder unitrust many years ago for a caring local couple who directed that a portion of their estate benefit the L. E. Smoot Memorial Library in King George. When the couple passed, the library received an unexpected, sizeable gift from the estate and the library board created a fund at The Community Foundation. Recently, the library board was able to use a portion of the money from the fund to purchase land for the eagerly awaited library expansion project. Although people often set up charitable funds to achieve tax savings, “philanthropic intent is critical,” said Paul Simpson, an attorney with Hirschler Fleischer in Fredericksburg. Paul has helped many of his clients establish irrevocable trusts that provide them with ample income for their lifetimes – and sometimes for the lives of their children. The donors get immediate tax benefits. Then when the last beneficiary passes, the remaining funds are used to establish or support a charitable fund at The Community Foundation. “This gives the donors immediate tax benefits, ample funds for their lifetimes, but also assures that they will leave a legacy of helping others,” Paul said. Paul is a past president of the foundation’s Board of Governors. Sue served as a member of the Board of Governors for six years.