What is the ultimate monetary goal for the SFL endowment fund? Where are we right now in the process of reaching that goal? What will our endowment fund allow us to do next year that we have never been able to do before?
In 1998 the endowment fund for SFL was created. Seed money came from life memberships in Friends of SFL that had been collected over the years. The fund got its real kick-off the following year at the Anchorage event with a major gift from Valerie Anders.
We have now reached the one third mark in our journey to achieve our ambitious goal of one million dollars, and we are already able to reap significant benefits.
One of the purposes of building an endowment fund is to allow SFL to hold events at venues that have been heretofore unaffordable. This objective will be met for the very first time in February 2008 when we travel to Bend, Oregon for our annual event. Bend is a highly desirable area, particularly for skiers in training for national and international competition, for its high snow reliability, its variety of trail systems and its attractive accommodations which offer many extra amenities. Until now, this venue was out of our reach. We can now take advantage of this opportunity, thanks to the many donations we have received from the SFL community and from others who want to keep SFL alive and growing.
More good news about our endowment fund: In November 2006, Marsha and John Soucheray, along with help from local SFL family members, organized a fund raiser reception which was held at the historic Dove Hill House on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Our success was twofold: we received generous contributions from our guests, and several of them showed a genuine interest in attending SFL as guides. In April, 2007, Ambassador and Mrs. Knut Vollebaek were our hosts at a beautiful reception held at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. This gathering was highlighted by honoring Brit Peterson for her significant and ongoing support of Ski for Light. We will always be indebted to the Vollebaeks for their warm hospitality and their personal participation in our SFL program.
Finally, Laura Oftedahl has recently put the finishing touches on a brand new brochure that describes the SFL Endowment Fund, and which provides ideas and examples of how endowment gifts may be planned for the future. Complete details on all these opportunities may be found on our recently updated web site at www.sfl.org/ways.html. The complete endowment and gift planning brochure is available for downloading or viewing on the web site.
Yes, the SFL endowment fund is definitely on the move and is doing its part to make a good thing even better.