Southland Charities Benefit From $168,000 Guardian Trust Distribution

Southland community organisations continue to benefit from the generosity of a South Island couple, 27 years after a charitable trust was set up in their names.
This month, Guardian Trust is again making its now annual distribution from the William and Gwenda Sybil Dick Trust, with a 2012 gift of nearly $170,000 to three local organisations – the Southland Medical Foundation, Presbyterian Support Southland and the Salvation Army. 

When the couple established the Dick Trust in October 1985, their intention was that it would help fund vital research into heart conditions and give support to Southland’s children in perpetuity.

The Southland Medical Foundation is receiving more than $83,000 and Presbyterian Support Southland and the Salvation Army more than $41,000 each.

All three organisations have received regular distributions from the Dick Trust since the 1980s, including more than $1.7 million since 2003.

Guardian Trust’s General Manager Personal Client Services, Philip Morgan Rees, says the Dick Trust is a prime example of how a well-managed charitable trust can facilitate enduring giving.

“William Dick had specific requirements as to where the annual income generated by his charitable trust was to be directed, and he had personal reasons for this. It is common for people who set up charitable trusts to direct them towards causes they care about deeply, and we are pleased that each year we are able to deliver what he wanted.

“The Dick Trust demonstrates how quality wealth management can serve long-term philanthropic giving. Our objective in managing the trust is to grow the funds year-on-year to permit regular distributions in support of the chosen causes.”

William Dick was moved to establish the trust by the death of his wife from a cardiac condition.

The Southland Medical Foundation, set up 46 years ago to support medical education and research among health sector workers, directs Dick Trust grants to fund cardiac research at the University of Otago and fulfil regular funding requests from the Heart Foundation. Previous grants have been used to purchase cardiac monitoring equipment for Gore Hospital.

The services that Presbyterian Support Southland offers through Family Works have seen a large increase in demand in recent years, putting a stretch on resources, said Presbyterian Support Southland Marketing Manager Noel Hassed. “Money received from the Dick Trust has been a critical part of our overall funding mix as we struggle to cope with the demand for our services. We recently set up the Guardian Angel fundraising initiative to help keep up with the demand.

“The funds we are given help us provide ongoing assistance to children – who are often being cared for by extended family or foster parents – and, specifically, enable us to give them clothing and equipment and facilitate activities so they can get involved in the same pastimes as other children.”

The Salvation Army uses Dick Trust funding in its provision of vital services to at-risk youth in Southland. The funding support has been used to provide young people with camping experiences, counselling and mentoring.

The funds from the Dick Trust are used exclusively within the Southern Division of the Salvation Army for children and youth work in Southland.