Donors

Donors are mainly long-term Buderim residents keen to give back to their community. Some give during their lifetime; some leave a bequest in their will and others use our Gifts in Memory Program to make a donation in memory of someone dear to them.

The late David Edwards (pictured above) was a man who believed in ‘philanthropy in kind’ and is remembered for his incredible donations of rare and valuable wine for raffles and Foundation events.

Loloma and Stuart Weir came to Buderim in 1977 and they donated a substantial amount of their time and, in later years, their treasure to the Buderim community. Loloma and Stuart firmly believed in the community foundation concept. Stuart died in 2004. Loloma started donating to the Foundation shortly after and continued to make substantial donations each year after that. Loloma died in late 2018 at the grand old age of 95. She was a very special lady and one of the Buderim Foundation’s most generous donors.

The life stories of David Edwards, Stuart Weir and Loloma Weir can be read on the Gifts in Memory page.  

Long term Buderim residents Norm and Ellen de Chastel celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2019 and, at that time, made a donation of $100,000 to the Buderim Foundation. In previous years, the de Chastel’s have asked that their donations to the Foundation have remained anonymous, but with this donation they relaxed this requirement in the hope that it would inspire others to follow. Their donation added significantly to the Foundation’s funds which, in turn, leads to an increase in the annual grant allocations.

Norm and Ellen de Chastel

Norm and Ellen de Chastel

“With my banking background, I’ve always been impressed by the preservation of capital in that it’s only the earnings each year that get used for the grants. This means that the initial value of every donation is maintained in perpetuity. And the Buderim Foundation is one of the few organisations we support where we know all our donation money goes to where it is intended and not drained away in administrative or marketing costs.”

Buderim Foundation Sponsors
And it’s important to remember that the Foundation is supported every year by three major sponsors, Buderim Pharmacy, Edenlea on Buderim and Sunshine Toyota. It is their ongoing financial contribution, combined with funds raised by events and the donation of time and talent from volunteers that covers the Foundation’s administration costs and allows the Foundation to state that “every dollar of every donation is invested and the interest used to provide grants to not-for-profit organisations in the 4556 postcode area.”