June 23, 2003 – The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development are among the founding members of the new Association of Caribbean Community Foundations.
The association came into existence at a meeting in Anguilla last week attended by more than 20 foundation representatives. The three-day gathering — the first joint meeting of the organizations — "enabled attendees to explore the mission of advancing philanthropy in the Caribbean," according to a release.
Five groups signed on as the founding members the National Community Foundation, St. Lucia; the BVI Investment Club Foundation; the Anguilla Community Foundation and the two U.S. Virgin Islands organizations. The mission of the association is "to strengthen efforts to improve the quality of life of island residents through organized community-based philanthropy and to work together to increase resources on individual islands and in the region," the release stated.
A number of consultants from the U.S. mainland took part in the meeting, including Cindy Ballard of the Coalition for Community Foundations for Youth, which coordinated a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to conduct the meeting.
"We are enthusiastic that our meeting led to the formation of a regional association," Emma Hippolyte, director of the St. Lucia foundation, said. A steering committee was named to develop a proposed organizational structure for the group over the next 90 days. "We are very excited about the opportunity to work together and to connect the group with others in the worldwide field of community foundations," she said.
Community foundations are philanthropic organizations that build long-term permanent resources on the local level and provide grants to non-government organizations to address identified needs and opportunities within the community.
More information about the new association may be obtained by e-mailing Carrolle Perry Devonish, director of the Anguilla Community Foundation, or by calling Dee Baecher-Brown, CFVI president, at 774-6031.
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