Vogelzang Family Fund

The Vogelzang Family Fund was created in 2010 by John and Casey Vogelzang to provide much-needed resources for aboriginal youth to attend the annual Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference at Grant MacEwan University.

The Dreamcatcher Aboriginal Youth Conference offers aboriginal youth from across Canada the opportunity to come together and learn about educational and employment opportunities, while celebrating their culture and making new friends. The goal of this conference is self-empowerment, and in creating this fund, the Vogelzangs helped in that empowerment as these young people built their skills, confidence, and connections.

Through a donor advised endowment fund, which allows donors to participate in selecting grant recipients, the Vogelzangs made a five-year commitment to provide bursaries so aboriginal youth could attend the conference. They felt that this type of fund offered the best opportunity for success and long-term sustainability, thanks to administrative support, other donations and investments, and increased community awareness.