In 2007, St Andrew’s received an unexpected and very generous bequest from the estate of Wilma Ward, a former parishioner of St Alban’s, Ameliasburg. When this large bequest became widely known in the parish, John Stanford, treasurer of St Andrew’s, and the wardens became concerned by suggestions for the use of this money. They wanted to ensure that this generous gift was used to enhance the ministry of St. Andrew’s in a wise and thoughtful manner for many years to come.
John had been involved with the management of the endowment fund at his former parish, Holy Trinity, Thornhill, and therefore was tasked with writing bylaws for an endowment fund appropriate for St. Andrew’s.
At that time, several very old bequests were held by the Diocese of Ontario for the benefit of St Andrew’s. Permission was gained from the known descendants of the families who had made the original bequests to consolidate these funds with the Wilma Ward bequest to capitalize the new Endowment Fund. These older bequests were given by the families of Davern, Gerow, Gore, Dainard, Hayes, Lonsbury, King, Niles, Stringer, and Turvey. Many of these names can be found on plaques and memorials around St Andrew’s to this day. Permission was received from the Diocese of Ontario for the establishment of the Parish of Kente Endowment Fund.
The motion to establish the Parish of Kente Endowment Fund was passed at the annual vestry meeting in January, 2008. The fund started with $100,000: $74,960.15 from the Wilma Ward Estate. $21,452.00 from previous bequests, plus $3,587.85 from St Andrew’s. As of 2026, the Endowment Fund stands at just over $400,000. The capital from the Endowment Fund is managed by the Consolidated Investment Fund of the Diocese of Ontario, and each year, 90% of the interest earned is available for distribution. In 2025, the Endowment Fund donated $18,375.33 to eleven local, national and international recipients.
The first distribution from the Endowment Fund took place in 2010. Since then, over $138,000 has been distributed. St Andrew’s is blessed to have this large Endowment Fund that has enabled so many individuals and organizations to continue the fine work that they do.