Judge John E. VanDuzer
Early in his legal career, John VanDuzer was appointed a judge, a bestowing of authority that he accepted humbly and used wisely throughout his 36 years on the bench.
“He was very, very sensitive to the needs of other people,” explains Joan VanDuzer, John’s widow. “He wasn’t caught up in the structure of the system. He always said he was in the service industry, which is quite unusual.”
Together with Judge David Steinberg, John VanDuzer is credited with the creation of Hamilton’s Unified Family Court in 1977, a pilot project that brought together in one courthouse all cases involving marriage breakdown, child custody and access, domestic violence and youthful offenders. The model has since been adopted throughout Canada.
John was a strong advocate of mediation and alternative dispute resolution and believed it was better for families to work out their problems without resorting to a trial. A true collaborator, he was inspired by the interdisciplinary knowledge and perspective of groups such as the US-based Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, of which he became the first Canadian president.
“He had a lovely sense of humour and could always take the edge off any battle,” Joan says. “It’s easy to follow the letter of the law and forget the human quality, but I think sometimes he tried to figure out how to make the law fit the person instead of the other way around.”
In 1992 John was 65 and became “supernumerary,” which meant a reduced work load. At a gala retirement dinner, it was announced that a fund was established in his name at Hamilton Community Foundation to support students in family law.
When John knew the end was near, during his illness in the fall of 2005, it was an obvious choice for him to ask Joan that ‘in memoriam’ donations be made to the John E. VanDuzer Fund at HCF. “In the cards and notes I received after John’s passing, many people commented on his huge respect for other people,” Joan says. “He was considered a gentleman in the fullest sense of the word. We hope with this fund we can further John’s interest in mediation and family law.”
Excerpt from 2005-2006 Annual Report
In October 1997, following several years of succession planning, the Board of Directors of the Edith H. Turner Foundation transferred its assets of $8.8 million into the Hamilton Community Foundation, thus joining the Foundation as a component fund and ensuring perpetuity and purpose of the funds.
The Foundation had been formed in the mid 1970s when Edith Turner, in discussing her estate plans with her lawyer, J. Benjamin Simpson, Q.C. seized upon his suggestion of a foundation to support local charitable causes and provided him with $500,000 to create this Fund. While there were no strings attached to the use of the money, she told him she would be watching. Another $4.8 million was directed into the Foundation after Miss Turner’s death. In the subsequent years after her death, the Fund has substantially grown through astute investment management.
Edith Turner had been a lifelong Hamilton resident, the only child of Sarah Jane and George A. Turner, a developer in the northeast end of the city. She herself was an astute investor, and avid golfer, a private and unassuming person who was known for her quiet kindness and generosity. Her decision to leave her fortune for the benefit of others was consistent with her interest in her community and her support of charitable causes over the years. Mr. Simpson recruited a board of volunteer directors to assist him in managing the Foundation, most of whom have served throughout its entire history.
The Foundation’s interests include health care, education, the arts, social services, seniors, children and the environment. Under the terms of the transfer agreement, the Turner Foundation board will continue to serve as the advisory committee, reviewing applications and selecting grant recipients. As before, the fund will provide mainly large grants in all sectors of the community for special projects, equipment and capital expenditures.
The joining of the Edith H. Turner Foundation with the Hamilton Community Foundation is more than a financial merger capitalizing on economies of scale. It is a coming together of two institutions with a common purpose – building the capacity of the community, making it stronger and more resilient, investing in people, projects and ideas with potential for positive impact on the lives of all citizens. Mr. Simpson speaks positively about his working experiences with the Hamilton Community Foundation and states, “My co-directors and I feel very good about this merger. Now we can focus on continuing the grantmaking work we’ve been doing in the community for all these years.”
Excerpt from 1997-1998 Annual Report
In his quiet, gentle way, Ninh Tran is crystal clear about the impact he wants to have with his philanthropy.
“I grew up learning the value of every dollar,” says the 35 year-old Dr. Tran, who emigrated from Vietnam to Canada at the age of two. “My parents put everything they had into my education and my chances here. They saved and saved, for me. I understand the value of that support. I’d like to give the same chance to other young people who are willing to work hard to improve their life prospects.”
Since high school, Ninh has thought a lot about how he could have an impact in the world. He considered politics but settled on medicine, earning his MD from Queen’s University and completing his residency in family medicine and public health here at McMaster. He is currently Associate Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton.
Dr. Tran started the Tran Family Fund at Hamilton Community Foundation in 2011. It will support programs that help youth reach their full potential.
“You don’t have to be a millionaire to begin making a difference,” he says. “I’ve started small. I will get experience and learn as I go along. I hope others will contribute and help build the fund up over time.” He already has ideas about using social media to promote awareness of philanthropic opportunities and the impact of giving.
“Creating a fund meets two different needs,” Ninh says thoughtfully. “It fulfills the need to give back, and it allows you to build your legacy. Both aspects are powerful.”
Donations are welcome. To give online click here or for more information, please contact the Hamilton Community Foundation.
Excerpt from 2011-2012 Annual Report
The 53-year-old Dundas residents relish their active, semi-retired life that emphasizes fitness and a deep appreciation of the natural beauty and recreation opportunities around them in their hometown.
So they’ve decided to give back in a way that will ensure others can enjoy the outdoors as they do.
Their inspiration, oddly enough, is Colonel Sanders.
Upon completing university, Glen Swire joined his family’s business, a chain of Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises. For the next three decades he owned and operated outlets in the Hamilton area before selling the businesses in 2002.
By that time, he’d had plenty of good corporate citizens as role models – the first of whom was his father who contributed to a variety of charities during his business life.
A white-suited genteel southerner whose name is synonymous with Kentucky Fried Chicken was another important influence.
Colonel Sanders structured the Canadian arm of his restaurant empire as a charity, so that profits were redistributed to Canadian outlets with the proviso that franchisees would use them to support local community causes.
“ He literally gave away millions of dollars through his lifetime,” says Glen. “I consider Colonel Sanders a mentor in philanthropy.”
The Swires wanted to give their energy and dollars to enhancing crucial community green spaces. As regular users of the Dundas Valley Conservation area, they recognize how outdoor recreation has increased their quality of life. So they set up the Swire Family Fund with the Hamilton Community Foundation. Right now, Glen and Debra are the fund’s main advisors but eventually their children – Paul, 30, and Julie, 28 – will become more involved, as will their grandchildren.
“ We looked into setting up our own family foundation, but decided that HCF could administer it for us with less cost and more professionally than we could do it ourselves,” says Glen, who feels that everyone should give a percentage of their income to charity.
When they look around their Dundas community at the wealth of hiking and skiing trails that have enhanced their lives, they are doubly committed to spreading that enjoyment.
Excerpt from 2003-2004 Annual Report
She kept company with a prince – and a movie star – but those closest to Evelyn Storms say she never lost the common touch.
When she died in November 2001 at age 90, Evelyn still lived in the family home built at the turn of the century on Ravenscliffe Avenue. Her father, Harry Utter Hart, moved to Hamilton from the United States when he was appointed chief engineer and vice-president of Westinghouse Canada Limited. He built the stately yellow brick house for his wife and two daughters. It was the only home Evelyn ever knew save for her years at Wellesley College, a small liberal arts college for women near Boston, where she earned a BA in history in 1933. It was there that Evelyn dated movie legend Jimmy Stewart and the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne who would later abdicate in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson.
Evelyn was in her late 40s when she married Richard (Dick) Storms, vice-president of manufacturing controls at Dofasco, in 1960. The union lasted until Dick’s sudden death 16 years later. An engineering graduate from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Dick spent a 40-year career at Dofasco, with a five-year break to serve during World War II.
Paul Phoenix, who worked as a summer student for Dick, remembers him as a brilliant man and an innovative thinker. “He spoke quickly and I often had to translate to my colleagues just what it was he wanted done. I learned a lot from him and really admired him. Dick was also very caring and loyal. When my wife and I left for our honeymoon, our apartment wasn’t yet furnished. The furniture arrived while we were away and when we returned, Dick, under my stern little grandmother’s orders, had the whole place set up.”
Dick’s daughter Nancy Prieur recalls that Evelyn and Dick loved to entertain. “They made a funloving, intelligent and accomplished couple who were renowned for the gracious welcome they extended to visitors. Their home, decorated mainly in shades of pink, reflected that warmth. Evelyn was dignified and dressed with great taste but she was also funny and mischievous. Her volunteer interests included the Junior League and Red Cross. Dad had a keen interest in architecture. He was an accurate draughtsman and a strong mathematician, whereas Evelyn enjoyed history, art and popular music. They shared a passion for golf and were members of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, where Evelyn was club champion. They were wonderful dancers too. My father also taught hockey and was a beautiful skater.”
After remembering Centenary United Church, numerous friends, family members and employees, Evelyn left the residue of her estate to the Hamilton Community Foundation to honour the memory of her parents, Harry and Louise (Lulu) Hart and her husband, Dick. The generous bequest will make more grants possible from the Community Fund.
Excerpt from 2002-2003 Annual Report
Fred and Ruth Spencer
When it comes to having a soft spot for people in need, Fred and Ruth Spencer share one that’s perhaps a bit softer than most.
This upbeat couple, now in their early 80s, believes charity begins at home – but they’re quick to add that it also needs to leave home and help the community. They’ve lived that belief all their lives, from the early years of their marriage when they took in foster babies and nurtured them until they were adopted, to their work with the Red Cross helping flood victims, to today, with their decision to make monthly donations to Hamilton Community Foundation’s Tackling Poverty Together initiative.
They are also long-time supporters of HCF’s Spectator Summer Camp Fund, based on Ruth’s fond memories of attending the camp as a child during the Depression. “There were times my family was on relief and I’ve never forgotten that,” Ruth says. “I remember those happy days at camp, and I think it’s so important for children to get away from the city and have fun.”
Both of Ruth’s parents were orphans, and her father was one of the “home children” who were sent from Great Britain to work on Canadian farms. Fred grew up in Birmingham, England and is particularly sensitive to the struggles that children and young people can face growing up in big, industrial cities. “We’ve always been interested in trying to help children from poor circumstances,” he says. “They’re the next generation who mustn’t be bypassed. With the Foundation’s current focus on poverty reduction, it seemed like a logical cause to support.”
Although they had originally planned to leave a small bequest to HCF, Ruth and Fred met with Hamilton Community Foundation to discuss their interest in leaving a ‘living’ legacy, with funds that would start to work now and not wait until their estates were settled. With the Foundation’s help, they began in November 2005 to make automatic monthly withdrawals from their bank account to support the Community Fund, which provides grants to projects aimed at preventing and reducing poverty.
“We sat down and started to make some decisions,” Ruth says. “With our age, we felt we needed to do this. We talked things over with our daughters and we have things in place now.”
Excerpt from 2005-2006 Annual Report
Ed Smee, the founding Chair of the Conserver Society, led by example through his personal life work on environmental issues. He is credited by his friends at the Conserver Society with helping to create the first action plan for Hamilton Harbour/Burlington Bay.
The Ed Smee Fund is is managed by Hamilton Community Foundation. The Conserver Society is the advisor and recommends recipients of funding to the Foundation based on submissions.
The Conserver Society accepts applications from community groups for small projects focused on education, research, or advocacy aimed at protecting the natural environment in Hamilton and Burlington.
Excerpt from 1998-1999 Annual Report
Marion Shivas could name every flower, bird, tree and weed in her backyard and at the cottage on the Bruce Peninsula she owned with her husband, Bob. The enjoyment of nature was the main focus of their lives. It found expression in the garden of their Dundas home and their love of hiking on the Bruce Trail.
The two met while employed at Hamilton’s Tuckett Tobacco Company, although Bob went on to become general manager of Rheem Canada Ltd. When Marion retired after 32 years as secretary to Tuckett’s vice-president of sales, she devoted her life to natural history, wildflower protection and land conservation. She was active in the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club as President for six years and as Sanctuary Director for 25 years. In 1961 she led the club in its first land purchase, Spooky Hollow Sanctuary, a 95 acre tract of stream-crossed, wooded land rich in plant and animal life near Normandale, making Hamilton the first naturalist club in Canada to possess its own nature sanctuary. Subsequently, she guided the club in the purchase of the Short Hills Wilderness Area and other nature reserves.
Marion Shivas was honored not only by the HNC for her leadership of Ontario Naturalists of which she was a director. In addition, she was recognized by the Dundas Horticultural Society, Ontario Heritage Foundation and Hamilton Region Conservation Authority.
Predeceased by her husband in 1972, Mrs. Shivas established the W. Robert and Marion S. Shivas Conservation Trust in order to ensure that generations could continue to enjoy the rich natural heritage they cherished. She died at the age of 91 and, in her will, bequeathed the residue of her estate to the Foundation to be used for the preservation, promotion and protection of plants, wildlife and conservation in general, in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Hamilton and Halton Region Conservation Authorities.
Excerpt from 1996-1997 Annual Report
Miss Shaw enjoyed a career as a successful life underwriter with Canada Life which career started in June of 1936. Lillian had a genuine interest in people and helping with their problems.
Upon her death the Hamilton Community Foundation established a fund in her name with proceeds received from her estate. The purpose of this fund is to support the work similar to that being carried out by the Canadian Mental Health Association with particular reference to the support of research or treatment in the interests of frightened or mentally disturbed children.
Angelika Sellick
Angelika Sellick has no doubt that philanthropy can be taught. The fund she created at Hamilton Community Foundation, in honour of her parents, illustrates the point perfectly.
“My father is a minister and my mom is an educator. They’re both very giving people,” Angelika says. “Thinking of others and the needs of the community is just something that my parents always taught me to do. They always say, and I say it too, if everyone just gave a little bit, it could really make a difference.”
Angelika quietly made history at HCF in 2004 when she became the youngest person ever to start a fund: The Glenn and Sidney Sellick Fund. “As a child, I observed how my parents consistently gave a portion of their earnings to other individuals and organizations,” she says, noting that with five children in the family, it wasn’t always financially easy to do so.
Angelika moved to Hamilton from Leamington in 1998 to attend McMaster University. After graduation she took a number of contract jobs in education and the arts before leaving Hamilton to teach English in South Korea. “I love the city for its character. It has its struggles and downfalls, but I think the people are great. Before I left, it was important to me to give something back to the city where I had six great years.”
Originally attracted by the ”Growing Roots…Strengthening Neighbourhoods” program because of its grass-roots approach, Angelika’s fund benefits the Foundation’s TPT II: Building Strong Communities which continues the emphasis on charitable grants supporting small projects. “HCF doesn’t say, ‘we think the area needs this’ – it’s the citizens themselves who decide what the needs are,” she says.
“When Angelika contacted us about starting a fund, we were just thrilled,” says Carolyn Milne, HCF’s President and CEO. “Although we know many young people are involved in philanthropic activities, either as volunteers or as donors, she is by far the youngest person to have started a fund with us. It’s a wonderful tribute to her parents, and Hamilton’s citizens will benefit as a result.”
Excerpt from Spring 2005 Newsletter
Donations to the Foundation are invested for the long term in public markets and in alternative investments. Investment income is then allocated annually to support granting, community leadership and operations. The summary and charts presented here provide both a financial snapshot and a history of recent activity that underlies the grants and community leadership activities represented in this annual report, made possible by remarkable donors.
Donations to the Foundation are from individuals, corporations and other charities. Donors may contribute to named endowment or flowthrough funds, to the Board-directed Community Fund, or to HCF’s community leadership projects.
The $35.1 million in donations this year is the second highest total in HCF’s history. Annual donations are influenced by the timing of the realization of donations in wills and significant one-time donations like the $27.7 million in donations of property and private equity. As illustrated in Chart 1, annual donations have ranged between $3.2 and $35.1 million over the past eight years. The five-year rolling average of donations ranges from $5.0 million to $13.3 million over the past eight years.
The five-year rolling average number of donations is 1,787 with 2019-20 at 1,853. The number of donations fluctuates based on “in memoriam” donations and the number and nature of events sponsored by donors to raise money for their funds.
Chart 1
Grants are made annually from both endowed and flowthrough funds. Because flowthrough fund balances are distributed in a shorter time period, granting from these funds can materially influence HCF’s total annual amount granted.
As illustrated in Chart 2, grants and community leadership project spending over the past eight years has ranged from $4.7 million to this year’s historic high of $11.5 million. Granting from endowment funds was reduced in 2013 as a result of the decline in investment returns in 2012 which a) lowered the asset base used for the granting calculation (currently four percent of the fund balances), and b) resulted in less income available to grant. Flowthrough granting and expenditures on community leadership projects has ranged from 22 to 56 percent of total granting in any given year and is dependent on the timing and nature of flowthrough and project activity. At 893, the number of grants for this year is 37 percent higher than the eight-year average.
Chart 2
Investments traded in active markets are reported at fair market value. Investments not actively traded are recorded at their cost less any impairment of their value.
To support our strategy of aligning our assets with our mission and to provide a more diverse and robust portfolio, HCF has committed to investing in alternative asset classes including loans to charities and not-for-profits, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and private equity. These alternatives are consistent with the Foundation’s long-term investment horizon and liquidity requirements. Since these investments are not actively traded, they are valued at cost in the investments. These alternatives total $25.8 million.
HCF invests according to policy guidelines established by the Board of Directors. Two committees of the Board oversee investments to ensure compliance with the policy:
As an endowment builder, HCF’s policy focuses on long-term investing and is supported by reserve accounts that are currently at their policy maximum.
The investment policy sets out a total portfolio target asset mix, as well as a range around these targets. The public market investment managers have mandates within this targeted asset mix and use their discretion to invest the portfolios within this range. Chart 3 reflects the current and target asset mix. Note: $25 million of private equity relates to a fund established by a donor and is not part of the asset mix or the consolidated portfolio results.
Chart 3
Two long-term portfolios are invested in the public markets with Jarislowsky Fraser, and Connor, Clark & Lunn. Chart 4 compares those portfolios against benchmarks as follows:
Benchmarks reflect the performance of each market index based on HCF’s specific target asset mix. Comparing actual results to the benchmark measures the value added by investment managers compared to the average market performance. HCF’s investment policy target is a long-term investment return in the 6.5 to 7.5 percent range.
Chart 4
The effect of the global pandemic has materially affected investment returns, resulting in a -8.4 percent public market return for the year. The seven-year annualized return at 6.8 percent is within the targeted investment policy range and is 1.2 percent higher than the 5.6 percent benchmark. As noted in the financial highlights, the current 10-year annualized return of 7.0 percent is in the target range and is higher than the benchmark by 1.2 percent.
Impact investments enable donations to endowed funds to drive positive change beyond granting, because they represent investments of capital that deliver financial returns coupled with positive social and/or environmental outcomes. In addition, these investments provide a pool uncorrelated to the public markets which, in turn, buffers the portfolio from the volatility currently experienced.
More than 15 percent of our long-term assets are in impact investments. Chart 5 illustrates HCF’s impact investing progress over the past five years, with $25 million currently placed or outstanding and another $15 million committed. This brings the total commitment to $40 million, up from $34 million last year. Impact investments cover areas including affordable housing, arts, environment and sustainable development.
Chart 5
Local loans since inception total $9.7 million with $7.1 million outstanding at year end. Chart 6 shows the impact areas our loans have supported. Since the loan program’s 2012 inception, $2.6 million in loan principal has been repaid and recycled as new loans. In addition, the interest from these loans supports HCF granting.
Chart 6
IRP is a Government of Canada program being delivered nationally by partners including Community Foundations of Canada. As the first phase in the government’s long-term investment in social finance, the IRP’s goal is to make social-purpose organizations “investment ready” so they can make a difference in new and innovative ways through their participation in the social finance market. HCF has partnered with community foundations in London and Niagara, and the McMaster Innovation Park to manage the program regionally on behalf of Community Foundations of Canada. The first request for proposals for funding in January created enormous interest nationally and garnered 65 submissions to our regional partnership. Approved funding is expected to be released in June 2020. As an additional benefit, the IRP brought a growing number of potential opportunities for local loans to HCF’s attention.
These investments include private equity, private debt and real estate investments. Many of these investments are long term in nature, are maintained at cost and do not have a regular income stream. As these investments are maintained at cost, their results include interest income and realized gains, but not unrealized gains. Results for these investments are closely monitored and are reported when realized. Chart 7 identifies the investment areas, with $18.0 million placed and a total commitment of $33 million across 21 investments.
Chart 7
Operating expenses for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 total $2.5 million and were 2.5 percent higher than last year. Staffing costs related to the Foundation’s 22 employees represent 70 percent of HCF operating costs.
In addition to breaking out cost by type, operating costs are allocated to each of the Foundation’s operating areas: grants administration, community and philanthropic leadership, community relations and knowledge dissemination, development activities, and administration and governance. Examples of community and philanthropic leadership include convening around the city’s critical issues and fostering the growth of philanthropy by sharing staff time and knowledge to support other charities. Charts 8 and 9 illustrate these costs by operating area and by expense type.
Charts 8 and 9
The Foundation’s annual development expenses are not necessarily attributable to the donations received in that year. The nature of donations to the Foundation can result in costs preceding the receipt of the donation by several years (for example, donations through wills). As a result, consistent with the community foundation sector, operating costs are evaluated by a ratio of total operating expenses to average total assets. Ratios fall within a range depending on the size and stage of the community foundation’s development.
Management considers the ratio of 1.26 percent (1.25 percent in 2019), as illustrated in Chart 10, to be within an acceptable range for a foundation of HCF’s size, stage and level of community leadership, compared against benchmarks established in the community foundation sector. We continue to monitor both the actual results and the benchmarks on an ongoing basis.
Chart 10
Hamilton Community Foundation’s total assets of $201 million at March 31, 2020 include balances of HCF funds and funds held on behalf of others at $1.7 million.
Hamilton Community Foundation’s fund balances, illustrated in Chart 11, represent accumulated donations plus the net investment earnings on these donations, minus granting and operating costs. Funds include both endowed and flowthrough funds. Endowed funds are held permanently and grant from investment earnings. Flowthrough funds are fully distributed as grants over a pre-determined term.
Chart 11
The fund balances have grown 55 percent to $198 million at the year ended March 31, 2020 from $128 million in 2013. Donations of $35.1 million included $4.4 million in flowthrough donations that were largely distributed as grants in the year and, as a result, do not remain in the fund balances at year end. This results in a modest total funds balance growth of 4.8 per cent for the year. The number of funds has grown 19 percent to 377 from 318 in 2013.
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