History of the Canadian Section Humanitarian Projects and the William James Spence ICD Memorial Foundation

1987 – As early as 1987, attempts were made to secure outside funding for Fellows of the Section to carry out dental services for people in under-privileged areas of Central America.

1989 – The Canadian Section planned the institution of a program to fund a Fellow of the Section for up to $3,000 to provide free dental treatment for a limited time in a Third World Country where there was a proven need.

1991 – The Board of Regents was informed that dates were set for a project the following March in Honduras.

1992 – The Board of Regents of the Canadian Section agreed to continue to fund treatment and educational projects in Third World Countries through the establishment of an endowment fund.

1993 – A Standing Committee called the ‘Projects Committee’ was instituted.

1994 – Three sub-committees began examining ways of supporting a humanitarian project.

1995 – The Humanitarian Projects Fund was formalized through the Dentistry Canada Fund to handle the financial administration of our projects. Applications for projects were being received.

1996 – The Executive Director of the Dentistry Canada Fund, Mr. James Wegg, met with the Board of Regents concerning the status of our funds. The Humanitarian Projects Fund stood at $7,025 and the William Spence Endowment Fund, which had been initiated by friends of our late Registrar, stood at $3,500. The first grant of funds, for a project in Honduras by the ‘Kindness in Action Service Society of Alberta,’ was taken from the Humanitarian Projects Fund. The Board of Regents made a grant of $5,000 to our Humanitarian Projects Fund.

1997 – Negotiations were begun to amalgamate our Humanitarian Projects Fund with the William Spence Endowment Fund, which was in danger of not reaching the minimum level to become a Trust Fund before it would be swallowed up in Dentistry Canada’s own funds. We again supported the ‘Kindness in Action Service Society of Alberta’ with a $5,000 grant. The Board of Regents made a grant of $5,000 to our Humanitarian Projects Fund.

1998 – Two projects were supported. – $5,000 to the project in the ‘Isoboro/Secure River Region in Bolivia,’ and $800 to Dr. O. Odlum of the University of Manitoba to ship surplus text books and journals to the University of Sophia, in Bulgaria. The Board of Regents made a grant of $5,000 to our Humanitarian Projects Fund.

1999 – Dentistry Canada Fund agreed to amalgamate our Canadian Section Humanitarian Projects Fund with the William Spence Endowment Fund to form the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund. On December 31, 1999, this new fund stood at $28,100. All donors to this fund will receive a charitable donation receipt from Dentistry Canada Fund. There were no projects funded this year.

2000 – Two previously supported projects were each given grants in the amount of $3,000 each – the ‘Kindness in Action Service Society of Alberta,’ and the ‘Isoboro/Secure River Region of Bolivia,’ In addition, the Board of Regents made a grant of $2,000 to the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund.

2001 – A meeting with Mr. Richard Munro, current Executive Director of the Dentistry Canada Fund, and Dr. Douglas Smith, Chair of the Board of the Dentistry Canada Fund, revealed that due to a lack of information, unbeknownst to us all the investment income from the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund which had been generated since the inauguration of this fund in October, 1999, had been put in the DCF general fund for their use. We also were informed that in addition to the 18% taken off all donations put into our fund, as a service charge, the service charge on the revenue earned had just been increased from 10% to 15%. Because of not wishing to access this fund until it had reached sufficient size to generate enough income to fund a project, we were not using all the services included in the 18% administration fee, and so were encouraged by DCF to request a lower administration fee.

The Board of Regents passed the following motions:

1. That the Dentistry Canada Fund be requested to credit all investment income generated by the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund, including that generated since its inauguration in October, 1999, to that fund. (Interest earned has been added to our Fund since July 1, 2001, but interest earned prior to that date was not recovered).
2. That in view of the present requirements in the administration of the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund, we request that the administration fee be reduced to 10%. (This request was not granted).
3. That President Thordarson pursue the possibility of setting up our own ‘charitable foundation’ for humanitarian work.
4. That in order to speed the growth of the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund, our annual dues statement to each Fellow include a request for a voluntary donation of a minimum of $25 to this fund, and that this request also be made to the Master Fellows and Life Fellows.

Two new projects were supported — the Lêdurga project in Latvia, (which is a work that Life Fellow Kira Obrascova has been closely associated with), in the amount of $4,000; and the University of Laval project in Paraguay, in the amount of $3,000. The Board of Regents also made a grant of $3,000 to the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund.

2002 – The Board of Regents set up an ad hoc committee with Past President Roy Thordarson as chairman, to investigate the possibility of establishing a Registered Charity of our own, due to the high administrative costs and ‘red tape’ attached to our William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Projects Fund within the Dentistry Canada Fund.

During the year, the voluntary donations requested for the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund, from each Fellow, amounted to $7,860. The total of the fund as of May 21, 2002, was $45,700.

Two projects were supported — the ‘Kindness in Action Service Society of Alberta,’ for a project in Central America, in the amount of $4,000, and the ‘Health Teams International’ organization, in the amount of $2,500.

The Board of Regents reserved $3,000 with which to start a Registered Charity of our own.

2003 – Past President Thordarson’s Ad Hoc Committee had made such progress by the time of the 2003 Board of Regents meeting on May 24th that the Board passed a motion to ratify the activities of the committee and request that the committee carry the project to completion.                                                         

On June 1, 2003, the William J. Spence ICD Memorial Foundation was registered with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, with its own tax-deductible business number.

The total amount of the capital in the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund at the end of Dentistry Canada Fund’s fiscal year on June 1, 2003, was $49,924. We will request this be transferred to the William J. Spence ICD Memorial Foundation. (DCF refused).

Of the voluntary donations received in our 2003 year, $2,025 was sent through the Dentistry Canada Fund for receipts to the donors, and $6990 was retained in our own account and transferred to the Foundation after it was established and our own receipts could be given.

In addition, one project was supported — two portable dental units were purchased for the work of ‘Health Teams International’ in Sri Lanka, in the amount of $4,500. The Board reserved $5,000 to put into our Foundation when it was established.

2004 – One project was supported — the University of Manitoba project in the ‘Isoboro/Secure River Region in Bolivia,’ in the amount of $5,600. These funds were provided from the William J. Spence ICD Memorial Foundation.

2005 – A project by Health Teams International in Mayanmar, was supported in the amount of $5,400 from the William J. Spence ICD Memorial Foundation. The funds were used to purchase three pieces of portable dental equipment for use in the project.

A grant of $5,000 was approved from the William J. Spence ICD Memorial Foundation to ship supplies from Winnipeg to the Village of Hope Dental Clinic, in Kitwe, Zambia.

A grant of $3,000, from the Canadian Section funds, was approved for the Weaver Institute, a Society for Personal and Professional Development, for the Street Angels’ Community Project. This involves constructing, equipping and operating a basic dental clinic in Dona Aurora, an urban Brazilian community of approximately 2,000 residents.

2006 – As per an Advised Fund Agreement signed by the Executive Director of the Dentistry Canada Fund on April 7, 2006, the William James Spence ICD Humanitarian Project Fund is incorporated as an Endowed Fund with Unrestricted Status and will be maintained within the accounting framework of the Dentistry Canada Fund and renamed the William James Spence International College of Dentists Project Fund (WJSICDPF). Endowed Fund balance as of June 30, 2005 was $50,077.

As per a Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Executive Director of the Dentistry Canada Fund on April 7, 2006, the Dentistry Canada Fund will forward to the International College of Dentists, Canadian Section, within forty-five (45) days of the acceptance by the DCF Board of the DCF annual financial statements the interest earned on the WJSICDPF, as established annually by the DCF Board.

On April 13, 2006, The Canadian Section received a cheque in the amount of $3,811.30 from DCF, being the amount of interest owing on the William James Spence ICD Project Fund up to June 30, 2005.

A grant of $5,000 to Health Teams International was approved from the William J. Spence ICD Memorial Foundation towards the purchase of a Nomad Portable X-ray unit for use in the 2007 mission in Northern Canada.

A grant of $10,000, made up of the balance of $2,850 necessary to disburse in 2006 from the Spence Foundation, augmented by $3,800 in outstanding interest on the William James Spence ICD Project Fund received from the Dentistry Canada Fund, with the balance from the Canadian Section, was made to the Street Angels Society to assist in constructing and equipping a one-chair dental clinic.

2007 – A grant of $10,000, made up of $9,000 necessary to distribute in 2007 from the Spence Foundation, augmented by$1,000 from the Canadian Section was made to the Street Angels Society to assist with the completion of the one-chair dental clinic in Dona Aurora, Brazil.

A grant of $10,000 from the Canadian Section was made to the Village of Hope dental clinic to be used to upgrade the clinic equipment.

2008 – The Board of Regents decided that since there was an accumulation of funds in the Foundation which could be drawn on if necessary, instead of attempting to accumulate a capital fund within the Foundation that at the present time all the receipted donations should be disbursed. Since the total of receipted donations in 2007 was approximately $24,000, the following grants were made from the funds currently in the Foundation:

A grant of $10,000 to the Street Angels Society for equipment and supplies for the one-chair clinic in Dona Aurora, Brazil.

A grant of $10,000 to the Village of Hope dental clinic towards the construction of a permanent clinic.

A grant of $4,000 to the Ottawa Mission dental clinic for supplies.

2009 – As the total donations received in 2008 were slightly in excess of $31,000 and memorial donations to the Foundation in memory of deceased Fellows totalled $1,100 the Board decided to disburse $32,000 in grants for 2009:

A grant of $10,000 to the Street Angels Society for equipment and supplies for the clinic in Dona Aurora, Brazil.

A grant of $10,000 to the Charleswood Gospel Temple in Winnipeg for their dental care project in San Pedro, Guatemala.

A grant of $12,000 to the Remote Area Medical Volunteers of Canada for portable equipment for various projects in third world countries.  (This is in abeyance awaiting the formal application with the necessary Charities Directorate registration number).

The required request to Dentistry Canada Fund for the interest earned on our William James Spence ICD Project Fund during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, was submitted on November 10, 2008. As no reply was received, the Honorary Registrar finally contacted the acting director of DCF by telephone in July and was informed that there would be no interest forthcoming for that period as our Fund had lost value in the fiscal year July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008.