Brockville and Area Community Foundation: Annual General Meeting
May 21, 2010

Brockville, Ontario (March 8, 2010) - The Board of Directors of the Brockville and Area Community Foundation (BACF) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Dargie as their new Executive Director. Mr. Dargie will replace Andy Mills, who has been the BACF Executive Director since 2005.

The Brockville and Area Community Foundation solicits contributions from donors, large and small, to create perpetual endowment funds. The income generated by these endowments is used to serve Leeds and Grenville charities not only now but into the indefinite future. Characteristically, decisions about future community needs will be determined by citizens of the future. The distinction of community foundations is their focus on the vitality of their communities in the long-term.

The Brockville Foundation was originally established, with a modest financial endowment in 1974, by a group of community leaders.

From 1974 to the 2000, the Foundation made small grants from the investment income that was earned on the fund. In 2001, the Board of Directors decided to join the rapidly growing Community Foundations of Canada movement, and re-established the organization as the Brockville Community Foundation.

The newly reborn Foundation quickly began to grow its endowed funds, and established a stream of revenue from a charity lottery licence to increase the amount of money it was able to award in grants. Since 2001, the Brockville Community Foundation has granted about $50,000 a year to local charities. To date, the Foundation has contributed about $400,000 to support local initiatives.

By 2002, thanks to a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Foundation hired its first ever Executive Director and focused energy on promoting itself in the community. The Foundation also facilitated the collection of donations and grants on behalf of the community to restore the historic Fulford Fountain in downtown Brockville.

The current Board of Directors includes John Fischl, Chair (President); Rose Lalonde, Vice-Chair; Leslee Jones Dingman, Secretary; Wendy Cuthbert; Duncan C. Fraser; Charles Massey; Timothy L. Ross; and Richard Boadway.

The recent appointment of David Dargie as Executive Director is seen by the BACF Directors as part of an evolutionary process. Chair John Fischl remarked: "Our Foundation is very pleased that David Dargie has agreed to become our new Executive Director. His dedication to the community and his knowledge of our mission can only help us to move forward and serve our area in a much stronger manner. He brings administrative and leadership experience; a strong profile of community activism; practical knowledge of strategic planning, marketing and communications; as well as a rich history of community activism throughout Leeds & Grenville."

Mr. Dargie is currently completing a four year term as Trustee for Ward 4 (Leeds County) of the Upper Canada District School Board. He was Co-Chair of the Ontario Senior Games Winterfest 2007, Chair of Winterfest 2009 and is now Chair of the 2010 Canada 55+ Games Organizing Committee. He also serves as Chair of the upcoming OSPCA Cogeco Cable 10 Telethon. He stated that: "I am excited to have this opportunity to serve my community in the role as Executive Director of the BACF. This is a natural extension of the volunteer work that I have done in many communities throughout Leeds & Grenville. It is an honour to be chosen for this role and I look forward to the challenge of growing the endowment of the Brockville and Area Community Foundation so that we can better enhance the quality of life in our communities."

The Brockville and Area Community Foundation thanks ALL our supporters and donors.

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"The Brockville and Area Community Foundation has been supporting Brockville and our Leeds & Grenville communities since 1974. The mission of a community foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the communities it serves. This is accomplished by: effective grant making; endowment building and donor services; as well as community leadership. Led by a volunteer Board of Directors, the Brockville and Area Community Foundation is dedicated to community development through the encouragement of strategic philanthropy."