Geraldine Cecilia Riley Fund
DONATE $90 for 90 Years
Celebrating Mom’s 90th Birthday on August 5th
In 2004, Joan Baker, Laura Fogden, Theresa Matus and Jade O’Riley sought a way to honour their mother’s artistic talents and the enjoyment of the broad range of artistic endeavour she portrayed and passed along to her children.
In particular, they wished to create a permanent way to provide opportunities for arts education or performance experience for children and youth including, but not limited to, dance, music, poetry, visual arts, drama, and artist in residence programs in school, with priority being given to helping children and youth living at risk or who might otherwise have limited access to such opportunities.
To create such a permanent way, they established the terms for an endowment fund where gifts would be prudently invested and each year a percentage of the fund be provided as a grant to a Canadian registered charity to fulfill this purpose.
Then came the process of building the fund to the fully operational $10,000 level where grants could commence. Since the fund was created over 425 individual gifts have been made to it and in 2013 the first grant was made!
That first grant and the grants in 2014 through 2016 supported YONA-Sistema, to provide music education for inner city children who otherwise would not have the opportunity, and who gain personal and social benefits beyond music (confidence, leadership, etc.).
In 2017, the fund supported a unique opportunity. The fund helped to ensure that all youth in the Chamber Choir of the Cantilon Choral Society, regardless of their economic circumstances, could participate in the 2018 Choir Tour in Hungary, Estonia, and Finland.
Already almost $3,500 has been granted and the fund has grown with gifts and investment income to over $26,000.
Imagine what opportunities exist for children and youth in the years to come!
Donate to This Fund
Fill out the form below to contribute a one-time donation, or set up a recurring monthly donation to the Geraldine Cecilia Riley Fund.
Please note: Donations made to any fund listed on our online directory will be processed by www.canadahelps.org. You will receive an electronic tax receipt directly from CanadaHelps for the full amount of your donation. The fund you are supporting will receive the net amount of your donation less the CanadaHelps processing fee.