The Macquarie Group Foundation is marking 10 years of fundraising for local charities, raising more than $16 million for 27 organizations in Calgary since 2015. The initiative brings together staff, clients and energy-sector partners to support programs and services across the city. “We select charities in partnership with our clients,” said Andrew Roorda, senior vice-president of the commodity markets and finance division. “While we look to certainly support all charities in Calgary, we aren’t able to do so, but we select ones that are near and dear to the Calgary community and ones where we see a long-lasting impact.” Macquarie Group is an Australian financial services company with a Calgary office focused largely on commodities, including oil and gas and the broader energy sector. Over the past decade, the foundation’s fundraising has helped build community facilities, address food insecurity, expand family support services and create opportunities for thousands of children and families. “It’s a very tight-knit community, so it’s bringing together all of our clients and energy-sector partners to give back to the community and local charities where we operate,” Roorda said. “You can see the long-lasting impact that the fundraiser has, and that’s really what it’s all about — supporting the community.” Tamara Smith, director of development at the Calgary Library Foundation, says the organization received $500,000 from Macquarie to help complete a $750,000 outdoor learning space at Signal Hill Library. “We find that when a library has this type of outdoor space, it increases library visitation by as much as 400 per cent, so it really makes Signal Hill Library a destination for families,” Smith said. “We were so grateful for their leadership gift.” Mike Lamacchia, chief operating officer of STARS, says two consecutive years of donations from Macquarie helped keep the organization’s helicopters equipped, crews trained and technology updated. “In Alberta alone, about 60 per cent of our funding comes from the community and organizations,” Lamacchia said. “So the Macquarie Foundation gifting us $360,000 last year was an important part of keeping our operations supported and delivering critical care.” Danielle Ladouceur, CEO of the Children’s Cottage Society, says her organization received $270,000 to help fund its crisis nursery and mental health support programs. “They were very instrumental in helping us build our new 35,000-square-foot child and family centre,” Ladouceur said. “Now that we have a big centre, we also have a lot of growth, and so they are a very important part of helping us grow and continue to provide very essential services to the families and children who come to us.” Roorda says it is rewarding to see how the funds raised translate into tangible benefits for the community. “You can see the sort of long-lasting impact that the fundraiser has, and that’s really what it’s all about — supporting the community and raising funds for local causes,” he said.
