The Catholic Community Foundation hosted its Advisors’ Luncheon on Tuesday, June 21st.

The event brought together nearly 100 attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors and wealth planners from the Santa Clara Valley, the Peninsula and San Francisco to discuss the benefits of using a community foundation in charitable giving, including specific techniques and ideas for advisors.

A panel of speakers presented: Mary Quilici Aumack, our Executive Director; Jim Cashman, Partner Attorney at Berliner Cohen LLP; John M. Sobrato, CEO of The Sobrato Organization; and Ray Triplett, CEO of Triplett Financial & Insurance Services LLC.

Among the topics discussed were choosing a community foundation over a commercial organization for Donor Advised Funds, opening a philanthropy narrative with clients, gifting a donor advised fund in estate planning, and the many uses of life insurance products in charitable wealth and estate planning.

The event was an enjoyable and inspirational experience for those who attended. The Foundation thanks our event sponsors: Berliner Cohen LLP, Triplett Financial & Insurance Services LLC, and Eckley Lomabardi LLP.

This year’s applicant pool included 34 parishes and several other Catholic organizations: the Diocese of San Jose, Catholic schools, the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos and Presentation Center, to name a few.

All grants are funded by disbursements generated from the Foundation’s four field of interest endowments: The Apolonia Andre Fund for Liturgical Music, Parish Outreach, Parish Stewardship, and Pastoral Ministry Training and Formation.

On behalf of the community that will be enriched by their philanthropy, we extend our sincere gratitude to the generous donors who make our work possible.

A major highlight of the 2016 grant cycle was the award of the Foundation’s first two-year grant. This grant will provide two consecutive years of funding to the Amigos de Guadalupe’s immigration assistance program at Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Amigos organization engages in significant outreach into the Mayfair Community of east San Jose, providing education, health, housing, and immigration services.

Amigos’ immigration program partners with organizations throughout the South Bay to offer legal and educational aid to those seeking to gain legal status in the community. It is currently bracing for the pending implementation of President Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration. The order will provide temporary relief for undocumented youths and parents by deferring removal proceedings.

52,733 individuals in Santa Clara County are said to qualify for administrative relief under the President’s action, a measure that is imperative to keep many hardworking immigrant families together. Amigos de Guadalupe will provide citizenship classes, immigration counseling and legal assistance to those who qualify.

To learn more about how your donation or legacy gift can become a permanent source of funding for programs like the Amigos de Guadalupe, please visit our website at www.cfoscc.org or contact us at (408)995-5219.

Catholic Foundation Symposium 2016: Dallas, TX

Our executive director, Mary Quilici Aumack, joined in a nationwide gathering of Catholic community foundation leaders to share ideas and best practices, while renewing friendships and assisting in each others’ ministries.

Save your receipts: Itemizing deductions often produces greater savings than taking the standard income tax deduction. If you donate to your parish or another nonprofit organization, itemizing your donations with other qualifying expenses can add up to a larger deduction.

Rollover your IRA: If you are 70 ½ years of age or older, take advantage of the now permanent IRA charitable rollover legislation and transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to a qualifying charity without recognizing the distribution as income.

Give now and gift later: Use your IRA rollover to open a Donor Advised Fund at the Catholic Community Foundation. You may also contribute cash, marketable securities or other appreciating assets. You will receive a full tax deduction in the year you begin and may advise grants to your parish or another eligible charity at your own pace. Contribute additional funds during later years with the same benefit.

Double your tax benefit by donating appreciated stocks: Donating appreciated securities directly to your parish, Donor Advised Fund, or another charity, rather than selling and donating cash, can double your tax benefits. It may allow you to avoid or reduce capital gains taxes while also claiming the full market value of the asset as a charitable donation. Keep in mind that in order to qualify you must have held the securities in excess of one year.

The Catholic Community Foundation is a partner for Donor Advised Funds and manages endowments for the parishes, schools and other Catholic ministries of the Diocese of San Jose. We can assist you in your charitable planning. Always consult an appropriate tax or legal professional before carrying out your charitable plans.

Father Greg, like many pastors, has financial concerns for the parish. Last year, he spoke of two specifically: First, he was concerned that the parish would no longer be able to pay their valued youth minister, Primo Martinez, who was receiving a modest wage for only 12 hours of work per week. This would mean that the parish youth ministry program, a ministry that is very much appreciated by the community, may need to be discontinued. Second, Father Greg worried that the parish staff was being underpaid. The parish was in need of a plan that would allow a just wage to be paid to the people that worked so hard to keep it up and running.
Father Greg knew that he could not remain pastor of Saint Joseph of Cupertino Parish forever. Yet, he wanted to find a way to ensure the vitality of the parish, of the staff, and of the youth ministry program today, for the future.

A solution was proposed: to begin a parish endowment. An endowment fund could be cultivated and grown over the years so that the parish had guaranteed income forever. It would reduce the need for dependence on weekly envelopes and capital campaigns, guarantee future funding for long-term planning, and perhaps even inspire a culture of legacy-giving that would continue into the future.

After a few conversations and a little planning, Father Greg held a meeting with his parishioners. He expressed his desire to plan for the future of the parish through endowment. Primo Martinez came too.

Those in attendance responded to the parish’s needs, swiftly and faithfully, and the Saint Joseph of Cupertino Parish Endowment was begun.

Several months have passed since the meeting. Father Greg continues to steward gifts for the future of Saint Joseph of Cupertino. The endowment continues to receive donations and is quickly approaching $100,000, which will yield $4,000 per year in income to the parish permanently, while never reducing its capital. As it grows, so does the annual parish income.

The future of the endowment at Saint Joseph of Cupertino Parish is bright. With increased stewardship and faithful answers to the call of need, that community has laid the foundation for a faith-filled and fiscally healthy future, where their youth and parish staff will be supported.

As Father Greg says, “Much has changed in our area since our parish was founded over 100 years ago. This endowment will help to ensure that no matter what changes take place in the next 100 years, our parish will still be able to serve the needs of its parishioners.”

The Saint Joseph of Cupertino Parish Endowment Fund is administered by the Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County. To make a donation or to discuss beginning an endowment for your parish, contact the Foundation at (408) 995-5219.

My “story” started before I was born. The writing began long before my parents. It includes my sisters and my brothers, my neighborhood, Saint Justin Parish/School, Notre Dame High School, Gonzaga University, my husband Doug and daughter Kacey, and the community of Saint Mary Los Gatos. It is the story of a life blessed with faith, love, adventure, opportunity, and ineffably valuable and supportive community. All of this contributes to my thoughts and plans around legacy.

There are many aspects to legacy, only a small part of which is financial. Our legacy is manifest in our children, and the long-term effects of our actions, advocacy and prayer.

A financial legacy is quite simply a continuation of our story. Through thoughtful planning, we are able to “continue” our financial support, our values, the institutions and ministries that we cherish. We choose for our support to continue, perhaps through endowing an annual gift, supporting a scholarship, ensuring the existence of a ballet troupe.

For Doug and me, our planning and our “continuance,” will be centered on our faith.

Ours will be a family endowment, supporting five different local Catholic organizations. Here’s how it works:

We execute an endowment agreement with The Catholic Community Foundation.
We designate either specific assets or a percentage of our estate to fund the endowment.
Every year, FOREVER, the Foundation will make distributions to our named beneficiaries.
This approach with our legacy plan has many advantages:

It is one simple agreement, supported by bequests in our estate plan.
It allows for the support of several different organizations, without burdening any of them with the administration, investment and oversight of a specific endowment.
It supports the work of the Foundation.
Our family endowment will be one way that we continue our story. If you’d like our assistance in your legacy planning, please give us a call 408-995-5219.

…to be continued

Mary Quilici Aumack is the Executive Director of The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County.

Apolonia Andre Fund for Liturgical Music ($3,800)
Parish Outreach ($73,800)
Parish Stewardship ($61,500)
Pastoral Ministry Training & Formation ($73,900)
The Apolonia Andre Fund for Liturgical Music was created to enrich parish worship life, and to strengthen our communities around the Eucharistic celebration. Only parishes are eligible to apply.

The Parish Outreach Fund grants to parish programs or activities that address the many pressing needs in the community. Only parishes are eligible to apply. New in 2016: the Foundation is piloting a multi-year grant program in Parish Outreach. Select programs may be eligible for a two-year grant. Please visit the foundation’s website for full details.

The Parish Stewardship Fund offers grants to programs which help parishes grow financial support for new or continuing activities. Parishes and the Diocesan Stewardship Office are eligible to apply.

The Pastoral Ministry Training & Formation Fund offers grants to faith formation programs and activities which help enhance the Catholic Faith in our community. All Catholic organizations in Santa Clara County are eligible to apply.
More information can be found at: https://catholiccf.mmediaweb.com/what-we-do/grants/.
The application is only available online.

Please contact Brianna Martin, Grants Manager, Martin@catholiccf.mmediaweb.com, 408-995-5219 x 21 if you need login credentials.
Please consider coming to one of the Grant Application Workshops:

Saint Clare Parish, February 24, 2016, Conference Room, 5:30-7 p.m.
Church of the Transfiguration, March 3, 2016, Parish Hall, 5:30-7 p.m.
Most Holy Trinity, March 10, 2016, Trinity Center, 5:30-7 p.m.
To accommodate all Holy Week and Easter Week schedules, the workshops will take place earlier than usual in the application cycle. If you cannot attend one of the above workshops, please contact Brianna to set up a one-on-one session.

Applications for 2016 must be submitted on or before April 5, 5 p.m. For additional information, contact Brianna Martin, Grants Manager, Martin@catholiccf.mmediaweb.com, 408-995-5219 x 21.

Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Kitchen Remodel: Our Lady Star of the Sea is a small but vibrant parish nestled in a community of great need. Parishioners depend on the Church to provide a place to gather and experience fellowship while also sharing Sunday breakfast. Nearly 20% of the annual budget is collected during weekend gatherings at the parish hall but the hall’s kitchen is in dire need of repairs to bring it up to code. Pastor, Fr. Hector Basañez states, “We need $80,000 for a kitchen remodel that would allow us to fundraise on Sundays and provide hot meals during the week.”

Amigos de Guadalupe Scholarship Program: Many young adults from the Mayfair neighborhood of East San Jose suffer from such financial hardship that only 2% are able to pursue a college education. The lack of access to education results in a defeating cycle of poverty. Many of the students in East San Jose have the resiliency to succeed in higher education, they just need the access that the Scholarship Program is able to provide. With community assistance, this Amigos ministry can help send more of our youth to college and provide opportunities for better lives.

Catholic Charities John XXIII Integrated Health Care Program: For the last 50 years, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County has served low-income seniors at the historic John XXIII Multi-Service Center in downtown San Jose. More than 1,700 seniors use the facility every year. Some of the services include free or low-cost daily lunches, community and cultural events, citizenship classes, and a variety of wellness activities. The Center recently added an integrated medical program that combines behavioral and physical health treatments and results in patients living longer lives, with more dignity and independence. Contributions to this program assist in keeping our most needy senior citizens healthy, mentally and physically.

Our Lady of Refuge All-Year Giving Tree: Every month, 350 families and individuals receive food and grocery store gift cards from the All-Year Giving Tree at Our Lady of Refuge Parish. During the Christmas season, they are provided a warm holiday meal to share with family and friends. The Giving Tree runs all year and accepts many types of donations, such as clothes, food, toys, and monetary gifts.

As I write this, I am visiting my sister and her family in Oregon. Our Thanksgiving visit to the Northwest is a multi-decade tradition. It is one of the countless blessings for which I am deeply grateful.

We celebrate the holidays with “blood relations.” We are formed by the teachings and examples of our parents. We share neighborhood memories. We enjoy the occasional inside joke. We protect each other. We rejoice in a new birth, wedding, or graduation. We hold each other in sorrow. We are family.

We have a cherished circle of friends. We cook together. We travel in packs. We share in life’s major events. We are family.

Doug and I participate as members of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception parish. This is our faith community. We worship together. We serve our neighbors. We are stewards of our gifts. We are family.

We live in a wonderful mountain community. We look out for each other. We bring meals when a baby is born or someone suffers illness or injury. We clear trails together. We gather on Friday evenings during summer. We are family.

Pope Francis said that families free us from the sea of loneliness and indifference, so that we can all experience the freedom of being children of God.

It’s easy to embrace groups with whom we have much in common; simple to think of them as “extended family, the family we chose, our faith family, our neighborhood family.”

God also calls us to embrace the human family; to love those who we find most distasteful, to pray for those who hurt or harm. It was with this all encompassing love that Jesus died, leaving us the ineffable gift of HIMSELF in the Eucharist.

Throughout Jesus’s life, through word and example, He taught those around him to love ALL. His “circle” repeatedly included the sinner, the outcast, the stranger.
The teaching of Jesus the Christ is unequivocal. We do not choose who we love. We love ALL. Sometimes those who most deeply need our love, are those whose actions make us wish to withhold our love the most. We must love them regardless.

As we embark on our Advent journey, gratefully awaiting the celebration of the birth of our Savior, we ask God for the grace to open our hearts, to extend our prayers, our outreach, and our love, to all.

Because we are all made in the image and likeness of God; WE ARE FAMILY.

Mary Quilici Aumack is the Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation.

The weekend of October 10 my parish, Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, hosted its annual Country Fair. This is a Los Gatos tradition, with rides, entertainment, and LOTS of good food. Doug and I have worked the Country Fair for most of the past 20+ years.

Aristotle said “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Today we would call that synergy. There is great synergy exhibited at our Country Fair. Countless hours are devoted to wplanning and prep; there are over 700 volunteer shift spots. The hall is in constant use for food, games, crafts.

This is also stewardship. Stewardship is “tending, taking care.” The Country Fair is a perfect example of stewardship:

We tend to our friendships. We have a solid group of women, led by two of us, who show up every year to work the Italian Sausage Sandwich booth. We work hard, laugh, drink wine, and catch up. Now our daughters come and work the booth with us, and some grandbabies show up to bring us joy. Fathers and sons work the grill.

We tend to our village. We visit with people of all ages, nurturing the network, giving thanks for our extended family of faith.

We tend to our parish needs. Of course the Country Fair makes some money, which is used to strengthen parish ministry, including our school.

AND…the community is tending to ME. I am fed by this hearty and meaningful tradition.

Each week at the end of Mass, after celebrating the ineffable gift of Jesus in the Eucharist, we are sent forth to BE the body of Christ in the world, to tend our gifts, and give back in myriad ways.

In God all things are possible. We achieve the ultimate synergy when celebrating our faith, through actions, in communion with others.

Next year we will do our small part in support of the Saint Mary Country Fair, in a communal act of stewardship.

By Mary Quilici Aumack

Mary Aumack is the Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County.