Veterans Terrace becomes an engine for charity

Operation of facility now generates local grants through community fund

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Staff Writer

When plans were first explored to renovate the Burlington Vets Building, few people knew about the charity that would arise from it.

Now, with Veterans Terrace completed and open for going on four years, the funds generated to first cover the costs of renovating the building are finding other uses.

As part of the effort to establish Veterans Terrace came the Burlington Community Fund, which functions under the following mission statement:

“To assist in making the Burlington area a better place to live, work, play and retire by helping people, enhancing education, enriching arts and culture, honoring military service, contributing to wellness, and improving the community and the environment through financial management of gifts and grants from individuals and organizations.

“Additionally, it is our highest calling to faithfully distribute funds generated by the operations of Veterans Terrace at Echo Park in accordance with our mission.”

Thanks to a board of directors and a mission to help out the community, the BCF has distributed about $35,000 in grant money – most over the last seven months.

The Community Fund is a non-profit organization designed to make it possible to not only help those in the community, but also provide a way for others to make a charitable investment.

Funds donated to the BCF are immediately tax-deductible, and the grants can be spread out over whatever time frame the donor wants.

The list of recipients is long and varied. In addition to making donations to various service agencies like Love Inc. and the Transitional Living Center, the fund has granted scholarships to local high school students, helped the Special Olympics, and served as the host forum for candidate forums and fundraisers.

Other recent donations have gone to the Burlington High School Koral Klub for assistance in purchasing the rights to the production of “Les Miserables,” the BHS B*Jazzled show choir to cover expenses associated with the annual Chocolate City Showcase, Partners2 for its work in local schools to prevent teen alcohol and drug use, and to Catholic Central High School to help purchase a new school bus.

In addition to the BCF re-distributing funds generated by rental of Veterans Terrace, the group also allows the facility to be used free of charge for various private fundraisers for local citizens and service organizations.

Bobbie Wagner, one of the members of the Board of Directors said that once Veterans Terrace was complete, the idea was to create something that would help the community on an ongoing basis.

“We wanted to set up something so the community could be helped,” she said. A grant process is now available online at http://burlingtoncommunityfund.com/ and funds are distributed quarterly.

“I think everything has fallen into place really nice,” Wagner explained. “I think the grant program is working really well.”

Jerry Delay, the president of the board of directors, said that – thanks to the generosity of private donors – Veterans Terrace was paid off earlier than expected, and now the money can go elsewhere.

“We need to get it out into our local area,” Delay said. “If it’s legitimate and it can help the community, that’s where the money should go.”

The building, he said, is a testament to that process – and also to the veterans in the area, of which Delay is one.

“That building can generate funds, and it should go back to the community and the local area,” he said.