Good afternoon and thank you all for celebrating this important community milestone with us. It's my pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of the Board of Directors of The Winnipeg Foundation.

I have three words for you today – three powerful words that sum up all that The Winnipeg Foundation is and does, its 85 years of history and its future in our community. Those three little words?

For Good. Forever.

These five syllables capture so much: the wishes of our donors, the permanent investment of the funds entrusted to us, the consistent revenue stream those funds generate to support community projects, a commitment to Winnipeg's success, and the vital work of our local charities.

For Good. Forever. reflects the spirit of our first gift in 1921, and the 1,700 endowment funds that make up The Winnipeg Foundation today. The phrase describes our initial round of grants – $1,000 to each of six agencies in 1922 – and the 600 organizations supported by the Foundation last year, with grants totaling $16.2 million.

And those words are as reflective of our role in the community today as they were of our founder's vision 85 years ago.

April 26th, 1921, probably seemed like an average spring Tuesday in Winnipeg. A new bungalow cost $1,375. Mary Pickford graced the silver screen at the Osborne Theatre, where admission was 50 cents. The Manitoba Free Press reported on a successful masquerade ball fundraiser for veterans of the Great War. And the Natural History Society of Manitoba called for the establishment of a museum for public education and enjoyment.

On this unremarkable day, most Winnipeggers wouldn't have known that an act passed by the provincial government in the Manitoba Legislature – a building that had been opened less than a year before – would continue to have an important impact in our community, and be celebrated, in 2006.

The Winnipeg Foundation was established to provide a permanent source of support for our city's charitable agencies – and to see our community through changing times. With an original gift of $100,000, William Forbes Alloway launched our Foundation – the first community foundation in Canada. A prominent banker, Alloway understood the importance of investing in potential to yield positive future results.

Our foundation was established during a time of flux, when Canada was on the cusp of prosperity, but global and local crises were still fresh in its citizens' minds – two years earlier the Winnipeg General Strike violently brought labour issues to the forefront. The First World War had ended only three years before, and the Spanish flu had recently killed 50,000 Canadians and triggered widespread panic.

Then, as now, technological change was rapid – automobiles and radios were altering lifestyles. Today, technology impacts every aspect of our lives – from entertainment to healthcare. In 1921, immigration issues were making headlines – today our tradition of welcoming immigrants has created a rich and diverse community that continues to attract newcomers from around the globe.

There are many parallels between 1921 and today, but critical new challenges have developed for Winnipeggers as well. But as issues and community needs have changed, The Winnipeg Foundation has remained a constant. Sustaining our effectiveness through times of growth has required flexibility and the agility to respond quickly and appropriately. Our Foundation's ability to consistently respond to changing needs can be directly attributed to our donors – people from all walks of life who, over the last eight and a half decades, have demonstrated their hope for our community and their confidence in the Foundation.

While we are proud to celebrate our long history, the Foundation's job is to look forward – just as our founder and all of our donors have – to our role in our community's future and consider the importance of work being done today.

We are conscious of our stewardship responsibility and we know that prudent investment of our gifts now will impact our community, its charitable agencies and, ultimately, its citizens, tomorrow. We have the opportunity now to foster new initiatives and programs that could change, or even save, lives in the coming years. We work diligently to ensure we're supporting areas of great potential, as well as great need.

But how can you plan for the future when you don't know what challenges it will bring? While Mr. Alloway might have predicted the Foundation would address issues such as poverty, education needs or employment, I'm sure he couldn't have imagined some of our contemporary problems, like climate change, gang violence and AIDS. Nevertheless, his commitment to strengthen our community, and his faith in the Foundation, is having an impact in those areas today.

Unfortunately, there will always be needs in our community, and those needs will shift over time. The confidence that our donors have demonstrated, and continue to demonstrate, in a brighter future, is inspiring. And, just as most Winnipeggers in 1921 couldn't have predicted the impact of the establishment of our Foundation – the work being done today by our community's charitable organizations will continue to be felt decades from now.

As I look around the room, I see so many dedicated and passionate Winnipeggers – both here as guests, and in these wonderful images displayed on these walls. We know that Winnipeggers are committed to community development, and I'm pleased to see so many familiar faces represented in this exhibit. How wonderful to celebrate our Foundation here – in Alloway Hall – surrounded by our community's history in this museum, and inspired by the beating heart of passion in this exhibit.

We're here today, on this average spring Wednesday in Winnipeg, to celebrate our Foundation's anniversary, but more important, we're here to celebrate its future – and that of our entire community. Eighty five years from now, the foresight of the Foundation's donors – from 1921, 2006 and 2091 – will be supporting the important needs of our community, whatever those may be.

And those three words: For good. Forever. will be as relevant in another 85 years as they are today.

We thank you all for joining us, for the support you've shown The Winnipeg Foundation, and for the role you play in our community's future – For Good. Forever.

Thank you.