LDB Foundation receives significant donations (Rick McGregor, Lac du Bonnet Clipper, Vol. 34, No.13, March 27, 2024)

The Lac du Bonnet and District’s Charitable Foundation’s ability to support more charitable causes in tis catchment area has been greatly enhanced by two significant donations in the last 10 months, both of which were six figure gifts.

Last spring, the Foundation celebrated surpassing the $1 million mark in its Endowed Funds for the first time. Putting them over that mark was a very generous donation by the Beverley Lynn Neisteter estate. Neisteter and her husband, Dennis Heckert had a farm in the Lac du Bonnet area for many years before his passing in 2014. Neisteter was a former CAO of the RM of Lac du Bonnet and passed away in May 2024.

More recently another very significant endowment from the estate of Joan and Melvin Sipley has put the Foundation well on its way towards the $2 million mark. Joan passed away in 2023 and Melvin’s death followed in 2024.

Originally from Winnipeg, they built a cottage on Lee River in 1979 and eventually moved there. In their later years, they moved to Lac du Bonnet. Joan was a frequent volunteer at the Pioneer Club, the Lac du Bonnet Historical Society and the Red Hat Society. She and her husband contributed to many local charities.

By establishing two new funds honouring these individuals who generously named the Foundation as a beneficiary in their wills, the Foundation has ensured that their legacy will permanently be remembered.

The Lac du Bonnet Foundation is a community based philanthropic organization led by a dedicated board with the goal of building significant capital, the earnings from which will provide grants for the betterment of the community now and in the future. Donations to the Foundation are invested in endowed funds and the growth of these funds can be used for the grants that the Foundation awards twice a year to charities in the Lac du Bonnet area and Ward 4 of the RM of Alexander. The fund’s principal amount continues to grow each year through donation and bequests, thereby increasing the amount that can be given out in grants.

The Foundation is currently seeking grant applications for its 2025 spring grant session and the deadline for applying expires on March 31. Only qualified donees or organizations holding a designated Charitable Registration Number from the CRA, operating in or benefitting the Foundation’s jurisdiction are eligible to apply. For more information and registration forms, please see the Foundation’s website at lacdubonnetfoundation.ca