Daffodils celebrate community legacy fund

Next spring, daffodils will bloom in Centennial Park in honour of the Olds Institute Community Legacy Fund (OICLF) and Canada's 150th birthday.

About 100 bulbs were planted by children -- with the help of parents and other adults -- in a garden in Centennial Park on Sept. 17. In total, about 40 people were involved.

Ed Wiper, the son of Gerry (Geraldine) Wiper, who helped create the Olds Community Foundation, the forerunner of the legacy fund, was in attendance, along with his kids.

“She put a lot of time and effort into it,” Wiper told the Albertan. “This is for the community and it passes down to generations, so we got her grandchildren here to help with the project.

“The program gets donations and just keeps distributing it out through the community, so it's a great legacy program for the community.”

Wiper was pleased to be a part of the celebrations.

“It's nice to see how the fund has grown and how the community's supporting it. I saw it with my mom creating the thing and now I can see that my kids are going to benefit from it down the road,” he said.

Several people spoke in the gazebo before the planting got underway.

Olds Institute board member Bill Hall, who served as the MC for the occasion, explained the OICLF.

“It's an investment pool composed of funds that have been donated, both by individuals and different sponsor organizations,” Hall said.

“As a registered charity, donations received by the fund will be permanently invested and each year, the interest earned from that fund can be withdrawn according to the spending policy to fund worthy community projects.

“So the magic of the legacy fund is that it brings benefits not just for this generation, but also for future generations,” he added.

Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper attended the event along with his children Peyton and Paxton, who enthusiastically planted several daffodil bulbs.

“One of the things that I love so much about the work that you do is it's not so much about today but about tomorrow,” Cooper said.

“One of the big frustrations that I've found in the political sphere is all too often, we're so focused on today and the short term – we often have such a short-term view in the world of politics,” he added.

“It's great to be with people who have a long-term view of building our province, a view of building our community for all of the little ones in the room and the ones that are yet to come.

“So thank you so much for that great work. Thank you for investing in our community. Thank you for building a great tomorrow and just thank you so much – particularly in the difficult economic times that we're in – that we share together. Your work is more important today than it has ever been.”

Olds mayor Judy Dahl said the fund pumped several hundred dollars into the community last year and is doing the same this year.

“That's amazing – to be able to say that the committee – which started as the legacy – will be able to carry this on for the future,” Dahl said.

“The fund has grown over the last few years. We sincerely thank the many donors for their generosity; their gifts help build a better community,” said Sundai Cody, a member of the Olds Institute's Community Lifestyles Committee.

She said last year, the OICLF gave money to the Olds and District Hospice Society and the Olds Historical Society.

“This year we're going to be giving again back to the community,” she said.

Cody presented Hall with a cheque for $250 from the Community Lifestyles Committee and a container filled with $300 worth of cash collected by local youth.

“Like the money that is donated to the fund, the bulbs will grow and mature,” OI executive director Mitch Thomson told the Albertan. “On an annual basis the daffodils will bloom, improving the beauty of the community. In a similar fashion, the fund will continue to grow and accrue interest. The interest will be granted annually to support community initiatives.”

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