Feed Local Kids’ Souls, Now and Forever
Ever met a 22 year-old who plans to live forever? In the case of the Shoebox For Kids Fund, it’s not a fantasy, it’s the truth. Established in 1996 by a donor who prefers the spotlight be on giving, the fund was set up as an endowment, providing a permanent resource for enriching the lives of local youth.
Broad Interests, Deep Impact
For the Shoebox for Kids Fund donors, their vision was to provide children with services beyond the basic needs of food, shelter, health care, and the like. They saw an opportunity to improve youth’s lives through afterschool and enrichment programs, arts, science, recreation and sports programs. In the donors’ words, efforts that would "feed their souls."
The fund has powered dozens of soul-feeding programs like Boys and Girls Club’s Live Oak afterschool club, Food What’s personal growth work with teens, and recreation programs at the Watsonville YMCA.
A Flexible Way to Accomplish Charitable Goals
Shoebox for Kids is an endowed field of interest fund, an attractive choice for donors looking to fund areas of need they care about, in perpetuity. Field of interest funds are flexible enough to fund a variety of recipients and to adapt to changing community needs over time. If preserving your anonymity or facilitating collaborative giving by family members and friends is important to you, it can do those things too.
Earnings Add Up to a Legacy of Good
Over its 22-year history, the Shoebox for Kids Fund has attracted about $16,000 a year in gifts, for a historic total of nearly $400,000. In that time, over $165,000 in grants have been awarded. Had the money been squirreled away in an actual shoebox, the balance remaining would sit at $235,000. Instead, invested for long-term growth by the Community Foundation, the fund balance has crested the $500,000 mark. That’s the power of endowment. That’s an enduring legacy of looking forward and giving back.
Would you like to learn more about how an endowment might serve your charitable goals? We’d be happy to help by answering your questions and assisting you in developing your charitable vision. To speak with our team, please contact Hilary Bryant, Donor Services Director, at hbryant@cfscc.org or (831) 662-2065.
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