Megan Tregunno is the CEO of the Burlington Foundation:
The holidays are a time of year when many of us pause and reflect. We may think about the past year, our families, our communities, and those around us who need extra support. It’s a time when people often deepen their generosity, providing an important boost to organizations that offer crucial support in our community.
That support is needed now more than ever. As Burlington’s trusted philanthropic partner for 25 years, the Burlington Foundation receives donations, invests those donations to further their impact, and then pays the returns forward in the form of grants to local charities throughout the year to support the well-being of our community.
Thanks to the generosity of community donors, businesses and our fundholders, this past fiscal year we provided more than $1.2 million in funding to support priority areas such as intimate partner violence, climate action, social justice, child and youth development, and food security, to name a few. See a list of most-recent grants here.
Our community is a generous one, but the pressing and urgent challenges around issues such as mental health, safe and affordable housing, and food security remain. These issues cannot be dealt with in isolation, making funding and strategic delivery of services of vital importance.
According to the 2023 Community Foundations of Canada National Vital Signs Report, as mental health and food security issues remain, giving needs to take an intersectional approach.
“Taking an intersectional approach would support people to achieve better well-being and, in doing so, would support the community,” the report says.
The report found almost 1 in 4 people have difficulty consistently affording food and that, in the 12 months prior, 23% of people ate less than they should have because there was not enough money to buy food.
It also found that 26 per cent of people said their mental health was fair or poor. Those who identify as female, are younger, financially insecure, a single parent, living with a disability, or have experienced frequent discrimination, including for race, religion and LGBTQ2S+ identity, were more likely to experience fair or poor mental health.
Through our Greatest Community Needs Fund, we are able to allocate funding to where it is most needed. Working closely with our charitable partners has allowed us to develop deep insights into the current and urgent needs of our community. Funding from generous donors like you allows us to respond to these needs and create a better Burlington for all.
Here are ways that you can provide a gift that will have a lasting impact:
- Set up a monthly, or one time, donation to the city’s greatest needs, through the Burlington Foundation.
- Give a gift to honour or celebrate a loved one this holiday season.
How to give:
- Online at www.BurlingtonFoundation.org by selecting our Greatest Community Needs - Unrestricted Fund or a Fund of your choice.
- By cheque to our office (please call 905-639-0744 ext. 1 to ensure a team member is available at our Guelph Line and Harvester Road location).
- Through credit card by calling our team at 905-639-0744 ext. 1
Join us as we help create a more informed, engaged and generous Burlington.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season.