Estonian Arts Centre (EAC), the charity associated with KESKUS International Estonian Centre, just received the Veritas 500 Award for 2024 in the Arts category.
This prestigious annual national award is given by The Veritas Foundation, a charitable public foundation that conducts research into the quality of Canada's charities. The award was presented on February 5 at a gala reception held at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto.
The awards draw attention to those charities that are excelling in their charitable mission through good management, mission awareness, and project impact.
“Charities endeavor to fill in the gaps and improve our communities through the generosity and determination of donors,” said Liisa Kaarid, EAC Board Chair, who accepted the award. “Estonian Arts Centre is so very fortunate to have gained the support of hundreds of new donors, with its renewed vision of investing in KESKUS International Estonian Centre in which EAC will advance its charitable objects.”
“As EAC celebrates its 50th birthday this year, this is a lovely birthday gift, thank you very much. We are pleased and grateful to be recognized with this meaningful award.”
In addition to these metrics, the Veritas Foundation validates the stewardship of nominees to protect the credibility of the charitable sector and the interests of the public.
The Veritas Foundation Executive Director Mark Bonham explained that charities are chosen to receive the award through stringent criteria. Rankings are first based on total tax-receipted donation revenue reported by the charities in their annual T3010 Canada Revenue Agency filings. In addition to these metrics, the Veritas Foundation validates the stewardship of nominees to protect the credibility of the charitable sector and the interests of the public.
Awards are presented in each of the twenty CRA charity categories, to the fastest-growing large (total revenues exceeding $1 million per year) and small charities.
The awards provide insights into which areas of Canada’s charitable and philanthropic sector are garnering increasing attention from both donors and the community and, in turn, provide products and services that are in demand by the communities they serve. EAC’s award was for the top arts charity in Canada.
“Entrepreneurial spirit runs charities,” Mr. Bonham said during the ceremony honouring award recipients. “They recognize a need in their communities and take action.”
The keynote speech at the awards gala was given by Rocco Rossi, immediate past president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and former president and CEO of Prostate Cancer Canada. A long-time philanthropic champion, he congratulated the award recipients and honourees.
“It is such a pleasure to be here with the stars of the philanthropic sector,” he remarked, and described how his own family, who emigrated to Canada from Italy, benefited from charitable outreach; namely his mother who learned English through a volunteer teacher and then went on to coach others.
“And I would like suggest that we change the terminology describing our sector from the ‘not-for-profit’ sector to the ‘for impact’ sector!”
EAC looks to continue that impact through promotion of and support for the arts through multiculturalism, preservation of literacy, musical and visual arts and the welfare and education of artists. KESKUS is as much a gift back to North America for welcoming Estonian immigrants as it is to support the vitality of the diaspora Estonian community.
*Read more about KESKUS on the blog.*
KESKUS will open in about a year's time and all are encouraged to sign up for the monthly newsletter on the KESKUS homepage, as we count down together, to opening!
There are many ways to make a contribution in support of KESKUS.
To donate, visit estoniancentre.ca, call +1.647.250.7136 or email donations@estoniancentre.ca. Donations may be made as a family gift, or in honour of an individual or family. All donations are issued a tax receipt, in Canada via Estonian Arts Centre, US tax receipts via Myriad USA and Estonian tax receipts via Eesti Rahvuskultuuri Fond. Donations by credit card may be made here.
Legacy gifts made to the Estonian Arts Centre, the charity associated with KESKUS, are creative and tax-effective ways to provide support. These are known as “planned gifts” because with thoughtful planning, we create a win-win situation that benefits both you and our community for generations to come. Find out how to provide a bequest in your will by going to www.estoniancentre.ca/bequest.
For information on making other types of planned gifts, including gifts of appreciated securities or insurance policies, or if you have any other questions, please contact EAC Donations Manager Taimi Hooper via email at donations@estoniancentre.ca or phone +1.647.250.7136.
