Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton has committed to building a strong new legacy fund for the Town of Lincoln, with help from the Niagara Community Foundation. On Oct. 22, 2015 the Mayor announced the launch of the new Lincoln Community Fund at an early morning meeting at the Fleming Centre. The Fund will be created over the next four years by using a portion of the proceeds from Mayor Easton’s Charity Golf Tournament, held in partnership with the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
“Since learning of the impact of similar funds across Niagara, I wanted to find a way that residents of Lincoln could create a similar legacy that would serve our community long into the future,” said Mayor Easton. “Council recently confirmed the work plan for sport, recreation and culture, and the Lincoln Community Fund will be a significant impetus to programming support for community agendas,” said the Mayor. “I see it as essential to success.”
“I have seen the impact of grants awarded to charities providing programs and services in Lincoln,” said Rich Gark, a Lincoln resident and Foundation director who chairs the Foundation’s Grants Committee. “To date we have provided more than $68,000 in grants to projects like the new boardwalk at Charles Daley Park, sending kids to camp and for AV equipment for community rooms at the new Fleming Centre in Beamsville.”
“Families and local businesses can create their own named fund within the Lincoln Community Fund,” said Liz Palmieri, Executive Director of the Niagara Community Foundation. The first organization to create a fund is the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. The Holmes Barrett Family Fund is the first family fund created by long time Lincoln residents Sara Holmes and Ian Barrett. The capital in all the funds is preserved, with a portion of the annual earnings from the funds pooled and directed to support charitable programs and services in Lincoln.
“Our plans are to build on the celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017 to encourage more families and businesses to follow the lead of our new fund holders,” said Palmieri. “As demonstrated by Sara and Ian, this is something that young families can do, and the support of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce shows leadership by the business community”
Lincoln volunteers working with the community to build the Lincoln Community Fund include: Adrian Pennachetti, Carrie Beatty, David Wood, Rich Gark, Rob Foster, Sara Holmes and Stuart Reimer.
Funds created by Lincoln donors have also provided an additional $611,000 in grants to charities serving the community.