The PEGG

March 2002

A Human Face

Editor's Note: The following is a regular column from the APEGGA Education Foundation.

BY DENNIS BROOKS, P.ENG., P.GEOPH.
President
The APEGGA Education Foundation

Accompanying this article are two letters of thanks from scholarship and award winners. I think the letters say something nice about these deserving people. I think the letters also say something to our donors and to Foundation members about the valuable contribution they make and to the uniqueness of their work.
After the letters, please read the item on 10-year gifts and how you can make them work for the Foundation.

First Letter
I recently attended the APEGGA awards ceremony for recipients of the teaching and student awards. As a recipient of an APEGGA gold medal, I was taken completely by surprise by not only the receipt of the medal, but by the awards ceremony. I have to say that I was most impressed by the people at the ceremony and the generosity of APEGGA in providing these awards and the ceremony.
All of the awards presented that evening recognized achievement only as opposed to those offered to entice people to a particular institution. This is a testament to the commitment to education and the generosity of APEGGA.
A third pleasant surprise was receiving pictures in the mail. This personal touch was an especially nice gesture and was really appreciated.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks for the time and effort of all those who contributed to this awards program and ceremony.

Sincerely,
Dan Sparkes, M.I.T.

Second Letter
I must begin by thanking the APEGGA Education Foundation for giving me the honour of being the first recipient of the APEGGA Millennium Scholarship. I would also like to thank all the generous members and corporations that helped fund this award. The depth of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta's assistance to students inside Alberta, and now outside Alberta, is commendable. Being the beneficiary of this award is very special to me because my parents and late grandfather graduated from university with engineering degrees.
This award is being put towards my tuition fees for my combined degree in chemical engineering and honours business administration at the Richard Ivy School of Business. However, most importantly, the receipt of the scholarship is allowing me to put my time into extracurricular activities such as the Kids Help Phone London Chapter, Let's Talk Science (a group that teaches kids about science) and my competitive swimming instead of having the stress of a job during the school year.

After my graduation, I look forward to being involved with APEGGA upon my permanent return to Calgary and helping the following generations of students with their educations.

Sincerely,
Caroline Olsen

A Mystery Revealed

In previous articles, I talked about "10-year gifts" and their mysterious origins in the Income Tax Act, Section 149.1(1). I have now received Customs Canada and Revenue Agency's publication RC4108(E), which on page 12 sheds even more light on this under the heading "Provisions to help a charity meet its disbursement quota."
These provisions allow us to add directly to our endowment funds on condition we keep the funds invested for 10 years and use only interest earned during that time for scholarship purposes. We would have the burden of keeping track of each year of such monies received throughout the 10-year period.

The donor must give the "10-year gift" stipulation in writing at the time the gift is made, but otherwise can claim the tax credit the same as any other charitable donation. If the donor were to make a large enough gift to create an endowment in itself (say, over $40,000), we would be pleased to discuss the naming and special purpose of the endowment.