The Loewen Foundation celebrates student philanthropy
June 8th, 2005
John Loewen, Ken Friesen
Steinbach, MB – The third annual Philanthropy 101 Celebration Luncheon was held on Wednesday, June 8 at Loewen. High school students from Niverville, Landmark, Ste. Anne, Grunthal, Steinbach Christian High School and Steinbach Regional Secondary School celebrated their learning and accomplishments in the field of philanthropy. Students spoke of the rationale and motivation for the grants they had made. Several grant recipients were present to receive the grants from the students. The Philanthropy 101 course sponsored by the Loewen Foundation provided each of the participating high schools with $2,000 to grant to charitable organizations of their choice.
The course led by the Loewen Foundation provided the students with some of the tools to evaluate charitable organizations and make good decisions about why and how to make grants. Grant recipients chosen by the students included Soup is On, Cornerstone – Niverville Youth Drop-in Centre, Grunthal Drop Zone, Canadian Food Grains Bank, Flatland Café – Youth For Christ Landmark, Grace Haven Pregnancy Distress Centre, Backstage, Ste. Anne Library, Grunthal Lion’s Club, SPADE (Ste. Anne), Agape House, Ste. Anne Parks and Recreation and Grunthal Fire Department. Each group decided on their own priorities based on their own values and then made their decisions.
Ken E. Friesen, Executive Director of the Loewen Foundation, stated: “We have tested several assumptions over the past few years and have confirmed that students in southeast Manitoba get a good education, are very capable of learning about and practicing philanthropy, and will be the future business and community leaders. The combination of corporate social responsibility, social responsibility in the school system, and not for-profit organizations in our communities results in stronger, more vibrant communities.”
John Loewen, Loewen Foundation Chair, further explained, “This is an effective way for the Loewen Foundation to invest its funds and to nurture future leaders. These students will not only be successful at whatever they do in their future careers but have also begun to learn how to carefully invest money in organizations that help improve their communities.”
The C.P. Loewen Family Foundation was founded in 1973 by the late C.P. Loewen. The Foundation's funding priorities are a reflection of the shared interests of its Directors – John, Stuart, Charles and Clyde Loewen. Through its work and the organizations it funds, the Foundation seeks to reflect the values of quality, respect, patience and hard work to improve local and global communities.