Ovi and Ligia: A Legacy of Community
“If you went to a neighbour to ask for sugar to make a cake, you then shared that cake with that neighbour. It’s just how we were raised — to bless others with what we have. And our focus now is on leaving a legacy, and being a channel to see those blessings fow through.”
Growing up in Romania in the 1980s under a socialist regime, Ovi and Ligia Grada have vivid memories of shortages of food, fuel, and electricity. There were also strong controls on news, travel, and freedom of expression. But out of this grew strong communities of neighbours and friends who helped one another by sharing what they had, and sometimes even sacrifcing for one another.
One of the ways the Grada’s are leaving a legacy is with a Donor Advised Fund — Invested for Impact with Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) — the frst ever since this new type of fund was launched in 2018. The fund is invested 100% for social and/or environmental impact alongside WRCF’s impact investments. Granting dollars from the Grada’s fund will be directed by them to address the needs of the community.
The Grada’s decided that 100% of their granting will to go towards addressing the lack of afordable housing in Waterloo Region. It’s an issue they were already aware of. And remembering the warm welcome they received from the community when they moved to Canada in 2003, they wanted to give back locally.
“We are not looking for a return for ourselves. We are looking for a return for the community,” says Ovi. “And personally as a donor and entrepreneur at heart, I wish to stimulate local businesses and organizations to invest in innovation, which has a positive impact overall on the community.”
The Grada’s were introduced to WRCF last year by a friend. They already had an interest in helping to solve the pressing need of lack of affordable housing, and were impressed with WRCFs ability to create a fund that invests in companies, organizations and funds with the intention to generate social or environmental impact, alongside a fnancial return.
As for others considering setting up a fund with WRCF, the Grada’s said the experience of being a Donor brings so much joy and purpose. “It flls up your heart,” says Ligia. And this type of fund means you can impact individuals, as well as organizations. “We want to live a life that is fulflled by giving and knowing that we invest in the lives of other people,” says Ovi. “We give today and someone’s life will be enriched tomorrow.”
If you would like to learn more about establishing a Donor Advised Fund — Invested for Impact, contact Dan Robert, Director, Philanthropy at dan@wrcf.ca or 519-725-1806 x 205.
Note: This story was written prior to Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation and Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation unifying to become Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Although the story was created by KWCF, we have updated the organization name to WRCF throughout the story.