Library Foundation looks to the future in establishing fund

The Stratford Public Library Foundation, a registered charity established in 1998 to help raise funds in support of the library, has joined the family of funds managed by the Stratford and Perth County Community Foundation.


Members of the library foundation board recently voted to invest its current funds with the community foundation and establish a Stratford Public Library Foundation Fund. That money will be invested by the community foundation in an endowment fund, the principal of which will be left untouched and a portion of the income earned each year used to support library programs, services or projects.


“The board felt this was a very positive move for the library foundation – for one thing because it takes advantage of the community foundation’s pooled investments and expertise,” says Alexandra Bignucolo, president of the library foundation’s board of directors. “We believe this is a sound long-term strategy that will support a strong and vibrant library ready to meet the needs of the community well into the future.”


One of the projects undertaken by the library foundation was to establish a Public Library on Wheels, known as PLOW. Thanks to donations from individuals and community organizations, the Library now uses a colourfully decorated van to deliver pre-school literacy programs to under-serviced areas of Stratford – and in conjunction with the Perth County Information Network throughout the county.


The Stratford and Perth County Community Foundation, created in 2004, now manages over $1million in community funds and has granted more than $160,000 to a wide variety of local charities associated with arts and culture, children and youth, seniors, education, the environment, health, social services, and sports and recreation.


Anyone wishing to donate to the new Stratford Public Library Foundation Fund will still be free to specify whether their donation should be added to the endowment fund or used immediately to support library activities.


For further information on the Library Foundation, visit their webage.