We are working to make a difference. Cherry Insurance provides approximately $31000 in annual support to dozens of organizations and events across Saskatchewan. We support community development in education, safety, sports, and local charities. Review recent highlights from our involvement with the Saskatoon Community Foundation, Cherry Bursary Program, Law Enforcement Torch Run, and EveryBody's Playground.
Building Community … One Person at a Time - “Saskatoon has been good to my family,” says Scott Cherry, president of Cherry Insurance. “It’s provided us with a home and quality of life. This is a way of giving something back”
Scott is talking about his role as a volunteer member of the Saskatoon Community Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation’s vision is to make Saskatoon the best community in which to live. To do this, it makes annual grants to charitable organizations working to enhance quality of life through a wide variety of projects – adult literacy, community theatre, youth initiatives, hunger programs and more.
“There’s a lot of work involved because the amount of money available for granting is finite, and there are so many organizations seeking assistance. I’m fairly new to the Board, but the dedication of The Foundation staff and volunteers has really impressed me.”
With so many charitable organizations active in the city, why choose the Saskatoon Community Foundation? “A big attraction for me is that none of the donations can ever be used for administrative purposes. 100% of your donation goes into the permanent endowment. And the principal cannot be touched – it lives in perpetuity.”
This concept of holding donations in trust in perpetuity, using only the income earned to make charitable grants, is one of the defining features of the Saskatoon Community Foundation. It was established in 1971 by a group of community leaders that included Fred MacDermid, Q.C., The Honorable Sid Buckwold, Dr. Austin Forsyth, G. Blair Nelson, Dr. John Leddy, Albert Flavelle and Allan Tubby. Their goal was to give everyday residents a chance to give something back to the community by making donations to a permanent endowment, something that would continue to grow over the long-term.
Scott and his wife Connie have been donors to The Foundation for many years. “My involvement started about 15 or 16 years ago. I’d actually never heard of The Foundation when a colleague in the insurance industry approached me about joining the Century Club.”
The Century Club was created in 1982 as a way of recognizing Saskatoon’s 100th anniversary. You join by agreeing to donate $100 a year to The Foundation.
“That’s how Connie and I got involved,” Scott says. “It’s about building a legacy. When you donate to a certain level, you can create a named fund and, if you want, designate it for a specific purpose. Our fund is called the Cherry Family Fund. It’s not big, but it will continue to grow.”
Right now the Cherry Fund isn’t designated for any specific purpose, which means The Foundation can use the interest generated in areas of most urgent need.
“Connie and I also support the Batting 1000 project, which is raising money to support programs for children and youth.”
Scott readily admits that kids are a “soft spot” with him. “Whether we’re trying to help those who have less or helping fund inner city music, there are many organizations in our community that are delivering excellent programs for young people. What’s interesting about Batting 1000 is that it’s managed by a Board that includes a mix of adults and kids from a spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds.”
In supporting Batting 1000, the Cherry’s are leading by example. They took advantage of an innovative fundraising initiative that lets donors make a sizeable gift by arranging an interest-free loan of between $1,000 and $5,000 with the Saskatoon Credit Union. The loan can be repaid over a period of up to three years.
Coming up with new ways to encourage donations and grow The Foundation endowment is an ongoing challenge for the Board. “We’re always brainstorming. Where do we look next, are there business people we should approach that we haven’t? It’s a big challenge to come up with new programs and also to get the Foundation more known in the community. I think in the end it comes down to the one-on-one sales call. That’s how I got involved with the Century Club. It’s still very much that one-on-one relationship.”.
Cherry Bursary Program - Cherry Insurance established a bursary in 1998 to be awarded annually to two students entering their first year at the University of Saskatchewan. Each bursary, valued at $1000, is open to Grade 12 graduates who reside in Saskatoon, Prince Albert or the Battlefords.
Search for Cherry Insurance Entrance Bursary at http://www.usask.ca/students/scholarships/entering/search.shtml.
The deadline for applications is February 15.
Law Enforcement Torch Run - The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is near and dear to our hearts. To support the Run, Cherry sponsors advertising, takes part in Torch Run fund raisers and, this year, is selling t-shirts which promote the Run in a fun way. Contact us for your Torch Run t-shirt - $15 and you're part of the game.
EveryBody's Playground - in September 2002, Cherry Insurance and SGI Canada supported a drive by EveryBody's Playground Committee, a sub-committee of the Erindale/Arbor Creek Community Association, to build Saskatoon's first totally accessible playground - designed for children of ALL abilities with inclusion as the goal.
Cherry and SGI came on board as a Diamond Sponsor, donating $25,000 to the $180,000 project.
"We're a part of this effort because we believe in giving back to the community. My grandfather established Cherry Insurance in 1945 and we've been a part of this city ever since," says Scott Cherry. Having raised a child with a disability, Cherry has firsthand experience with exclusion. "This playground doesn't exclude anybody; even parents with mobility impairments will be able to join in play."
