I am pleased to present, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Pillars Trust Fund, a report on the activities for 1998-1999.

Leadership
Our twenty-fifth anniversary year of 1997-98 ushered in a period of transition from which the Pillars Trust Fund is only emerging.

During those first twenty-five years our mentor was Bishop Leonard J. Crowley, Vicar General of the Archdiocese and our Honorary Chairman.  In 1997, we celebrated with Bishop Crowley his 50^th anniversary of ordination and his 75^th birthday, then wished him well upon retirement from Pillars at the end of June.

Bishop Neil E. Willard, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, was familiar with our operations and became Honorary Chairman and an active board member until he died in April 1998. His help was invaluable.

Our new leader, Bishop Anthony Mancini, continues in the path of his predecessors, giving us leadership and strong support.

Annual Fund Raising Campaign
It is the task of the Pillars Trust Fund to raise money in aid of apostolic, charitable, religious educational activities of the English speaking Catholic community.  If this mission seems straightforward, it is far from simple and has become increasingly difficult in recent years.

The annual campaign conducted each autumn features a Direct Mail campaign, followed by a Phonathon, and a special collection in each of the English Catholic parishes. The Phonathon involves a large number of volunteers who telephone the potential donors to whom letters have been mailed, in order to establish personal contact and encourage increased support.  It normally extends over two or three evenings.

In the last two years, we have held a Walkathon in the spring to make people more aware of the good we accomplish. This year's event, which was well organized by volunteers from our board and several West Island parishes, took place on a gorgeous day in June in Dollard-des-Ormeaux's beautiful Centennial Park.  A family barbecue and games followed the morning walk.  Participation was enthusiastic, but participants were fewer in number than the previous year.

Competition for the donation dollar has been growing steadily. The Pillars Trust Fund was initially established to combine several parish collections. Since then additional worthy causes, all of them serving important needs have again filled the Sunday collection calendar. Our community, having lost many of its youthful leaders to better opportunities elsewhere, exhibits a dwindling population beset with high income taxes and an aging leadership. This combination of forces has led to declining campaign revenues, as illustrated below:
                          Year                      Result
                            1993-94                $259,000
                            1994-95                $257,000
                            1995-96                $241,000
                            1996-97                $230,000
                            1997-98                $250,000
                            1998-99                $226,000

During my three-year mandate our objective was reached only in the 1997-98 fiscal year. That was our 25^th anniversary year, when we were featured by the English Speaking Catholic Council in its Rally and our Honorary Campaign Chair was Vera Danyluk, head of the Montreal Urban Community and a strong member of the Annunciation parish. That was also the year Anne Garland organized our first walkathon which added $10,000 to the final result. We thought we had turned the corner, but it appears than many donors made a special effort for our anniversary. This year's returns have brought us back to reality.

This year’s campaign included the parish campaign, two direct mailings and a Phonathon carried out over two evenings.

Steps being taken to try to counter this trend include the following:

• Greater follow-up to the Fall campaign, in order to make personal contact with individuals who had donated in the past and who for one reason or another were not reached during the Phonathon.

• Introduction of new activities to create awareness and to supplement the collection, notable the West Island walkathon.

• Introduction of young new board members with expertise in fund raising and communications.

• More openness and transparency in our operations.

Closing Remarks
The Pillars Trust Fund has benefited greatly from its association with Samson, Belair, Deloitte and Touche (and predecessor partnerships).  Members of that firm have for years provided our board with financial and management expertise which few charitable organizations can claim to have enjoyed.  Their influence has ensured that our financial condition is sound for the time being.

Clearly, however, new donors must be found.  Younger people must somehow be persuaded that they have an obligation to support these services through monetary contributions and by volunteering their time.  This issue in not exclusive to the Pillars Trust Fund, but it is fundamental to the future well being of our faith community.  In this regard, the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the families who participated in our activities during the past year is an encouraging sign that with the right formula we can indeed successfully attract a new generation of supporters.

Respectfully submitted,

O. Richard Macklem
President, 1996-1999