Thompsons establish endowment fund  to further support community causes

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A retired Caledon leader and his wife have given a lasting gift to local non-profits.

On August 14, the Brampton and Caledon Community Foundation (BCCF) received $17,273.77 from the Town of Caledon. The amount donated was the residual proceeds, after expenses, from a retirement celebration for former Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson in November 2022.

Thompson said when the celebration was being planned, he didn't want it to be a fundraising event, nor cost-prohibitive for guests to attend. However, he knew the team planning the celebration would need to secure sponsorships to offset costs.

“My wish was that any remaining proceeds after expenses be directed to charity,” said Thompson in a media release. “The challenge was how to pick just one from among all the many valuable charities doing important work and serving our community.”

Thompson and his wife Anne decided to ensure shared support for Caledon charities by establishing the Allan and Anne Thompson Endowment Fund through the BCCF. The money from the celebration will now remain in perpetuity and yearly disbursements of it will support Caledon charities.

Lori Robinson, Chair of the BCCF Board of Directors, said she's looking forward to seeing the benefits the endowment fund will have for charities in Caledon.

“As a long-time resident of Caledon, I know well the contributions both Allan and Anne have made to our community,” said Robinson. “...The endowment fund is testament to their love of Caledon, the people of Caledon and the charities (there) that do such important work.”

Anne said the endowment fund was created so the donation from the retirement celebration wouldn't be a “one-and-done.” 

“Instead, the fund exists forever so the charities that support our Caledon community will continue to receive support and the community benefit will far surpass the value of those initial

Funds,” said Anne. “That is incredibly exciting and a great way to honour the legacy of Allan's

political career.”

Two disbursements from the fund have already been issued, in May and in June.

The Bethell Hospice Foundation (BHF) received $1,000 during its Hike for Bethell Hospice, and Caledon Community Services (CCS) received $1,000 during its Velocity ride in support of Caledon seniors.

The Thompsons said each of the initial disbursements were offered as matching gift challenges for the Hike for Bethell Hospice and Velocity fundraising campaigns. In this way, the overall benefit to the non-profits was doubled.

Jim Boyd, President and CEO of the BCCF, said he was delighted the Thompsons chose to create their endowment fund at the BCCF.

“The Thompson family roots go back centuries in Caledon, and there is no more appropriate legacy that I can think of than their permanent, charitable endowment fund,” said Boyd.

Nicole Hand, the Executive Director of the BHF, said her organization was grateful to be the first-ever beneficiary of the endowment fund. She said it encouraged other donations to the Hike for Bethell Hospice, and added she was thankful for the Thompsons' belief in the importance of hospice palliative care.

Geraldine Aguiar, CEO of CCS, also thanked the Thompsons for their support and called them true community builders that continue to inspire Caledon to step up. 

“This gift certainly sparks a real ripple effect of generosity in our community,” said Aguiar.

The BCCF is based in Caledon East and builds and administers endowment funds to support non-profits in Brampton and Caledon. The BCCF pools the charitable gifts of donors into permanent, interest-earning endowments.