Alphonse Gerwing Foundation

A Note From Our President

Dear Relatives and Friends of the Alphonse Gerwing Charitable Foundation,

I want to wish you a blessed and peace-filled Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025. As we enter a new year it is time again to give a progress report on the Foundation.

Our Foundation is currently supporting two projects in north-east Brazil that Al was instrumental in forming and funding. These projects are:

- Ambrosina Young Women's Capacitation

- Grota da Alegria Education for Good Living

The Ambrosina Young Women’s Capacitation objectives, in part, are to increase their employability through the following:

-continuing with their studies

-family planning advice

-facilitating access to books and readings through storytelling and leadership training

-using theatre as a tool for social development, educational and cultural formation and transformation

-providing psychotherapeutic care for young women experiencing vulnerability, family disruption and oppression

Grota da Alegria was one of Al’s first and most loved projects. It involves going into slum areas and offering support and hope to the people there.

As stated in the Fall 2023 Nexus newsletter, “100 children from the ages of 6 to 10 years old, and 20 from ages 11-14 participated in the project which aims to improve the literacy rate in the area.

The project focuses on meaningful literacy such as mathematical operations related to real life situations such as cooking and food preparation.

Mothers are involved too so that they can continue working on this at home. The children also participate in carnivals, holiday activities and trips to museums and parks to broaden their experiences.”

As you know, there are many continuing needs in the projects that Al started. I encourage each of you to consider becoming part of the Foundation. Your donation adds to the principal value of the Foundation. The earnings are used to fund projects each year so all contributons continue to "give" year after year. If you are interested in making a donation please go to the "Donation" section on this (the Alphonse Gerwing Foundation) website.

Foundation highlights from 2024 include:

• For the past few years, the Foundation has donated $500 to be awarded with the Al Gerwing Fine Arts award at the Lake Lenore High School graduation. However, this year the award was not given out due to the lack of a student meeting the criteria.

• Beginning in 2021 the Foundation agreed to donate $750.00 annually to St. Thomas More College in Saskatoon to be used for an emergency student bursary fund. The fund supports foreign students who are having difficulty paying for food and shelter, textbooks and tuition. We thought this was appropriate as STM had a special and enduring place in Al’s heart.

• The Foundation's investment portfolio is doing well. Thank you to Ted, our invaluable secretary-treasurer for overseeing our investment portfolio. For 2024 we plan to distribute the usual amount to Al's ongoing causes in Brazil. Also we will be sending this year's accumulated donations to Connie Gerwing's Kinyambu project in Kenya. The project is raising funds to build and equip a classroom for physically and mentally disabled children. Over the years, these contributions have made life-altering changes for the good in many, many lives. • We still have copies of “No Ordinary Man” and a few of “Joining the Street People”. Both would make excellent Christmas gifts. Both are priced at $20.00 and would make worthwhile stocking stuffers. They can be purchased by contacting Ted (see information below). You can find them on the Foundation website under “Al’s Store”.

Once again, best wishes to each of you. Thank you for your support of Al's Foundation. I encourage you to consider the Alphonse Gerwing Charitable Foundation as one of your 'charities of choice' for this coming year.

Steve Buttinger, Chairperson

Alphonse Gerwing Charitable Foundation

Our hope

As you know, the purpose of the Foundation is to keep Al’s projects (and memory) alive long into the future.

You can help

By contributing to the foundation, you can help to ensure that Al’s work will continue to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you received- only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”
- St. Francis of Assisi

You can make a donation by cheque or through any of the options listed on the Donations web page. Another option to consider is a "direct deposit". Direct deposit enables a donor to make a regular donation each month by having the donation transferred to the Foundation automatically. If you are interested in either of these options please contact our treasurer, Ted Gerwing at (306)374-9771 or by email at tedgerwing@sasktel.net.

Or you can use your credit card click the button below. To receive a receipt in the mail, please fill out the shipping address form on PayPal.

Donations can be made out to the Alphonse Gerwing Charitable Foundation and sent to 14 Harvard Cres., Saskatoon, SK., S7H 3R1

Foundation brochures can be downloaded from the Our Brochures pick on the web site. If you would like to receive more information, contact:

Ted Gerwing - Sec. Treasurer
1-306-374-9771 14 Harvard Cres., Saskatoon, SK., S7H 3R1
email tedgerwing@sasktel.net

Steve Buttinger - CEO
(306) 374-3345
e-mail sbuttinger@sasktel.net

Charlie Matt/Vicki Gerwing (Web & Info)
c-matt@shaw.ca

Roberta Hoiness (Social Media Coordinator)
rhoiness@sasktel.net