SHS LEGACY DONATIONS

Donations once gave life to Sweden House Society (SHS). Without funding from kind, giving members of the Swedish community, the SHS board would not have been able to carry out its missions through the many years it has existed. Upkeep of the Scandinavian Centre and scholarships in the Scandinavian community in BC would not be Swedish to the wide extent they are now.

SHS is a part owner of the Scandinavian Centre in Burnaby. It is our responsibility to provide a stable financial platform to maintain the Centre and keep it alive. Despite maintain current activities, the SHS board works hard on developing a future vision, which include several new exciting projects with funding requirements. Among these are a number of potential future scenarios, including a sporting facility, a school building, a new playground, and an overall strategy to maximize the use of the large piece of land the Centre is situated on.

All future plans are designed to include more young people and families in the Centre activities, while at the same time protect the identity of the Centre as a social place for our senior members. We want every person in the Lower Mainland with a Swedish connection to have another home away from home.

Why me? I can only donate a small sum?

Bequests are arranged by living people who are making a powerful statement today about their Swedish identity and interest. A bequest to SHS through your will may be the most important gift you will ever create and give you a great feeling of satisfaction.

Bequests are not just for wealthy people. Maybe you think that your small donation will not make a difference, but it will. Donations come in all sizes, and they all matter. Over the years, a bequest of a few hundred or a few thousand dollars is going to have a large impact. A few percent of an estate may not sound like a lot, but if that donor has a house, a car and some retirement savings, the bequest that the donor felt was too small to matter could be quite significant.

What will my money be used for?

Donations are made through wills and revocable trusts can be directed to our permanent endowment fund, administered by the Vancouver Foundation. The endowment is a particularly effective way to leave a lasting legacy, since the earnings accrued on your donation will support Sweden House Society and the Scandinavian Centre in perpetuity. Our endowment is currently used for scholarships supporting students undergoing post-secondary education, but this could change with more donations.

You may make your gift in your own name, or you may memorialize a loved one with your contribution. Your bequest may be unrestricted — to be used at the discretion of the board of Sweden House Society — or you may designate your bequest to support a specific scholarship or to the building itself.

Examples of projects that you may want to direct your donation towards:

• Maintenance and renovations of the Scandinavian Centre.
• SHS post-secondary scholarships, through the SHS Endowment Fund.
• Activities of one of the established member organizations.
• The SWEA Vancouver-UBC Scholarship.

How does it work?

If you consider donating a sum of money to SHS, please follow these instructions. Please add a page to your will with instructions of how large sum you intend to donate and what the sum is meant to be used for. A general example of text follows below:

“I give the sum of $___________ to Sweden House Society.”

You can also make a so called “Residual Bequest” by the following wording:

“I give this percentage __________ % of the residue and reminder of my estate to Sweden House Society.”

We recommend that you consult with your lawyer, when preparing your will. If you, your lawyer, and/or your financial adviser have any questions about this information, please contact the President of the Sweden House Society: swedenhousechair@gmail.com, who can guide you through the process.

Sweden House is a registered charity, and as such welcome donations at any time. We send out tax receipts following donations, since donations to a charity are tax deductible

If you would like to donate one time, please send in a cheque to Sweden House Society, 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9. You can also visit our website at the Vancouver foundation, where you can donate either one time or set up a regular payment, using a credit card.