Johnston Group created the Advisor Charitable Match Program to team up with our advisors across the country who are supporting community initiatives that make a difference.
For Jim Garrett and Alice Klamer, meaningful change should last well beyond one lifetime.
“We’ve always felt it was important to give back,” says Garrett. “We wanted to find a way to keep helping, from now to eternity.”
The couple have been involved in supporting children and families in the Niagara region for years. Garrett says they want to give vulnerable youth hope and a path to a better life.
After donating to a variety of charities and organizations, Garrett says they felt the need to do more. They wanted to create something sustainable that could continue to give hope and security to their community long after they were gone.
Paying it Forward. Forever.
In December 2020, after years of careful planning, Garrett and Klamer created the “Agape Fund Series – J.L. Garrett & Family,” managed through Niagara Community Foundation. With this endowment fund, their charitable investments build interest to provide continuous grants to charities of their choice. “When we contribute to this fund, that donation is forever,” says Garrett.
Soon after starting their main fund, Garrett and Klamer created several “Agape Fund” sub-funds dedicated to specific organizations, three of which help uplift and empower local youth and their families. These sub-funds support Red Roof Retreat, Youth Unlimited St. Catharines, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara.
This year Garrett, Klamer and Garrett Group Ltd. have made an additional investment across all three of these dedicated funds. Garrett is the local advisor for Chambers Plan group benefits in the Niagara region, and its administrator, Johnston Group, was excited to help share their story and match their contribution through Johnston Group’s Advisor Charitable Match Program, which is designed to support charitable organizations that are having a direct impact on their local communities.
Red Roof Retreat
After making so many spontaneous donations directly to Red Roof Retreat founder Steffanie Bjorgan, Garrett knew he wanted to do more for a cause that truly tugged at his heartstrings. And so Red Roof became one of the first beneficiaries of the Agape Fund. As a father, Garrett says he appreciates that the retreat creates some time for the parents, who care tirelessly for their children with special needs, to relax while their children enjoy accessible activities, day trips, and summer camps through Red Roof Retreat’s youth and adult respite program.
Youth Unlimited St. Catharines
Garrett is a long-time supporter of the youth centre and its mentoring and drop-in programs. While he says it’s hard to pick one feature to highlight, Garrett brought attention to its programs for young mothers, which include nutrition and cooking classes in the centre’s kitchen, and access to free diapers, baby clothes, and other essentials through its Baby Boutique.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara
Garrett Group Ltd. has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara for years and strongly believes that the power and potential of young people can be ignited through BBBS mentorship. Most recently, Garrett and Garrett Group Ltd. have started donating Junior A hockey tickets and, at the recommendation of his son Jeremy, snack vouchers for volunteer mentors and their mentees, allowing them to enjoy an all-inclusive mentorship outing without paying a cent.
Funding a Brighter Future
As each fund continues to grow, Garrett hopes the interest they earn will eventually help one of the organizations create a scholarship for continuing education.
“It’s really important to us that we’re able to give youth hope, to show them that they’re not stuck,” says Garrett. “There are people to help.”
And, with his son Jeremy now involved in managing the endowment funds, he is confident the foundation they’ve built, and the security it helps provide these life-changing organizations, will be in good hands.
“The way I see it, money is a tool,” says Garrett, “and we should use it to build something beautiful.”
Advisor Bio: Jim Garrett and Garrett Group Ltd. are based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, proudly offering Chambers Plan in the Niagara region of Ontario.
