L’Arche Saint John Launches New Endowment Fund

L’Arche Saint John has launched a new endowment fund to help it meet the critical needs of adults with intellectual disabilities in the region.

The Brighter Futures Fund was officially announced during the organization’s sold-out gala dinner in Saint John on Tuesday night.

President Jim Kokocki said the fund was made possible through a $100,000 donation from Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception.

“They told us they were going to provide $50,000 and they supported us in a major way,” Kokocki said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna, who was the guest speaker at the gala, also pledged $10,000.

Donations to the Brighter Futures Fund are not spent but instead grow the endowment, according to L’Arche Saint John.

The annual income earned from the endowment will help the organization both sustain its operations and support future growth.

“When we look at our operating expenses each year, about 50 per cent of what we require to operate L’Arche here in the city comes from the provincial government and we need to fundraise the other 50 per cent,” said Kokocki.

“Any contributions from this endowment fund helps alleviate some of the stress that we’ve got each year in meeting that gap.”

Executive director Zoël Breau says the shortage of inclusive housing for adults with intellectual disabilities is “an unknown crisis” in Saint John.

L’Arche operates McKim House on the west side with five residents but the demand is much higher, said Breau.

“I’m working very hard with a very committed board to find a way to expand. We have one home — we could have more,” Breau said in a news release.

L’Arche Saint John partnered with the Greater Saint John Community Foundation to create the endowment fund.

You can make a donation through the community foundation or through L’Arche Saint John’s website.