THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Community Foundation has announced that Alexandra Calderon will lead the organization into the future of community philanthropy.
“We are confident that Alexandra’s passion and vision for our community will serve us well into the future,” says Board President Jordan Lester. “She has a wealth of experience and skills and the Board looks forward to working with her as we grow the Thunder Bay Community Foundation to further benefit our community”.
Alexandra earned her Honours B.A in International Development from the University of Toronto and brings with her years of fundraising experience with non-profit organizations including Shelter House, the Lutheran Community Care Center, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation and Canadian Feed the Children. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals; The Lakehead Fundraising Association, and recently joined the Port Arthur Rotary.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to join this fantastic community-minded organization. The Thunder Bay Community Foundation has truly done exceptional work for the betterment of the entire community and I look forward to building on so many positive aspects that are already in place,” says Calderon. “This has been my dream job for years – The Foundation is one of Thunder Bay’s best-kept secrets. I want to get the word out to the wider community that absolutely anyone can start a fund. We have donors who have honoured their loved ones’ legacies by growing an endowment through small fundraisers such as selling handmade cards and art or those who set up endowments in their will. If anyone is interested in learning more about the Thunder Bay Community Foundation or is wondering how they can participate in this long-term and sustainable approach to charitable giving, please feel free to give me a call at 475-7279 or send me an email at acalderon@tbcf.org. I would be happy to talk with you about the TBCF and how you can become involved.”
Over the past six years, the TBCF has doubled the size of their endowment, and Calderon looks forward to growing the endowment even further because that means more grants to charities, as well as scholarships and bursaries to students every year.
Alexandra’s family fled communist Poland and moved to Thunder Bay as political refugees. As a result, she is very passionate about giving back to the community which gave her and her family so much. Alexandra is married to Andrew Calderon and is a mother to three boys.
The Thunder Bay Community Foundation enhances the quality of life for area residents by attracting, developing, and managing permanent endowment funds through responsible stewardship; assessing and responding to existing and emerging community needs through grants to qualified recipients as well as scholarship and bursaries to students; offering a means for individuals and organizations to contribute to our community both during and after their lifetime; and providing leadership in our community around issues of community concern. Over the past four decades, the Thunder Bay Community Foundation has given out over $6.1 million in grants and scholarships. Today, the Foundation holds about $11.1 million in trust for its donors.