In this edition of the "Helpers" series of good news stories, we focus on Kate Merrit-Dupelle and her work as Executive Director of the North Bay and Area Community Foundation.
Merritt-Dupelle says she wanted to make a difference but didn't know quite how she could make that happen. Then she met former Mayor of North Bay and long-time community champion Jack Burrows.
"I started at the Community Foundation as 2011 as an intern under Jack’s leadership. I had recently graduated from York University and knew I wanted to plant roots in the community that I had grown up loving. When I graduated, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do but I did know that I wanted to do a job I could be proud of. It was important to me that my career was one I could build in a sector where I felt like I contributed to a greater good" she explains.
She notes that the Foundation is always striving to stay current. In fact, in light of the Covid 19 situation,it recently announced that local charitable organizations and projects that work in the areas of health care and food security can connect with them for financial support.
Looking back. she says it was a step-by-step process for the North Bay & Area Community Foundation to become the powerful force for good that it has become.
"The Foundation was created in 2006, our (first) grants distributed in 2010. That first year of grants we distributed $5000 - $1000 each to five local groups. We now give more than 10 times that amount annually. Most importantly, our Foundation has grown into its role of working with donors to achieve their charitable goals. We have a variety of funds which exist to address the needs of varied causes and our impact in the community has gone from a drop in the bucket to something substantial and diverse."
Merritt-Dupelle is honoured that she gets to work in a way that memorializes a true community champion she started it all.
"Jack Burrows was the Founding Chair of our Foundation and is the reason we exist locally. He cared for this community so deeply. We often say that we wish he could see what the Foundation has grown into but the fact of the matter is that he is the perfect example that the actions we take now impact future generations and that a community can be pushed forward with kindness. I cannot think of anyone more appropriate to be the Founding Chair of this organization. His dedication to this area and quiet kindness have been an inspiration to many," she explains.
The group's efforts have been substantial as she notes "we are getting very close to having administered $1.5Million in charitable grants" in the community.
She says there are a couple of misconceptions about The Foundation.
The first mistake people make is thinking you have to be wealthy to help, saying "One of our biggest challenges as an organization is that people often believe that you need to have a great deal of wealth to leave a charitable legacy. This is simply not true. Legacy is more than financial, all donations matter and have an impact. We have a wide variety of preexisting funds that people can give to if they aren’t interested in creating their own."
Another misconception is that the local organization is the only one of its kind.
"We are part of a national network of foundations. There are currently 191 of us and we are linked by Community Foundations of Canada. We all operate independently but combined we hold more than $5 billion in assets. In 2018, we provided nearly $300 million in grants to our respective communities. What is important to note is that these dollars are being used to change things and create sustainability at ground-level in our communities."
She adds that local groups and organizations can explore the option of the foundation helping their efforts, stating "we accept grant applications all year long, until Dec 31st. To qualify, grant recipients must be what is called a 'Qualified Donee', as described by the Canada Revenue Agency. We love to hear about the charitable work happening in our community and encourage local groups to keep us in the loop on their plans and progress."
Merritt-Dupellke says she and the group's volunteer board of directors are always looking for new ways to help, adding "we are happy to have recently launched the North Bay Symphony Society Fund and look forward to working with those in our community who wish to craft a charitable legacy."
Connect with her at [email protected] for more information.
This is one of a series of good news articles about "Helpers" in our community. To suggest a person, volunteer, group or an organization contact Mike Anthony at [email protected]
