Pentecost Blessings from the Catholic Community Foundation

May God bless all of you and your family abundantly, and may His Holy Spirit fill each and every one of you each day with His mercy, grace, and fortitude, especially during this challenging time. At this time, please join me in praying daily for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, for an end to all injustice in our world, and for unity in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

For my wife Rebecca and me, our faith is the most important part of our lives. The Catholic Community Foundation helps us put our faith into action through streamlining our charitable giving and helping us support our favorite Catholic ministries in an impactful way. As one famous saint has said, “Faith is seen more in deeds than in words.”

For over 36 years, the Catholic Community Foundation has been creating and managing the financial vehicles necessary for you to leave the Catholic legacy you want. As a long-time estate planning and business attorney in the Valley, I know how important it is for all families to plan well. For over 20 years, I have been blessed to serve the Foundation in various volunteer capacities, and I am currently serving as the Chairman of the Board for the Foundation. It has been an amazing journey, and I am happy to serve in accomplishing the mission of encouraging philanthropy and providing financial support for Catholic evangelization and education. Whether it is to schedule a wills and trusts seminar at your parish or a one-on-one legacy planning meeting with one of our team, to join the Giving Circle in order to make impactful grants for incredible ministries, or to sponsor a future student leader through the Christian Service Awards or other needs-based scholarships, I encourage you to call us today to ask how the Foundation can help you leave your Catholic legacy.

For the last two years, I have been privileged to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Foundation. As my term comes to an end, I am extremely grateful to CCF’s Executive Committee, the entire Board, each member of CCF’s staff, and to all of you for helping make CCF what it is today. In the last two years, we have all worked hard on accomplishing three major goals for the Foundation, namely, (1) to empower CCF’s Board Members to assist the Foundation in carrying out its mission; (2) to focus the Foundation on its development mission of raising long-term funds to support the many worthy Catholic charities in our Diocese; and (3) to develop marketing materials to effectively communicate the mission of the Foundation through all forms of media. Thanks to the many people who work at and with the Foundation, we have been able to accomplish these three goals and help the Foundation continue to grow. First, all of CCF’s Board are now fully empowered to help the Catholic community carry out the Foundation’s mission, and there is a thorough onboarding presentation now in place to make sure that all future Board Members will also be fully-equipped as well. Second, despite the COVID-19 pandemic (which dramatically affected the Foundation’s fundraising efforts during the last few months of the 2019-20 fiscal year), CCF has raised $5.5 million for this fiscal year, which is the highest amount raised by the Foundation since 2017. Finally, the Foundation has prepared an updated strategic plan, has prepared comprehensive marketing materials for implementing such plan, and now has all of the marketing materials necessary to carry out its mission for many years to come.

In addition, the Foundation has re-established its commitment to long-term giving, with an emphasis on end-of-life planning, endowments, and annuities. The Foundation also has a new office located close to many of its stakeholders and strategically positioned in the Valley to implement its plans for the future. Finally, with the addition of some key new staff members, the Foundation is now able and to handle all of your charitable giving needs. All in all, even though it faces challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (just like we all do), the Foundation is well-positioned to carry on its work and to achieve its goal of reaching the $100 million mark in total assets managed within the next 3-4 years.

May God keep you and your family safe and healthy during this challenging time. If there is anything that the Catholic Community Foundation can do to assist you at this time, please feel free to call us. In addition, please let us know how the Foundation can do to help you leave the Catholic legacy that you want.