CCF-LA News | September 17, 2024 | |
Best-kept secrets are not worth keeping a secret! | |
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Two items in this month’s column are highlighted because they need to be broadcasted across our Catholic community and our world. These are two areas that I would categorize as “best kept secrets." The first is the value of a Catholic school education, and the second is the value of the Catholic Community Foundation to our philanthropic community.
Today, very few Catholic school students are walking to school and instead are being dropped off behind fences that block playground activity from the public to protect privacy and increase security. What a shame that the local communities cannot see the joy and excitement of these students. Their Catholic school education is more than a rigorous education; it is an experience in developing character, leadership, and, above all,
the concept of doing the right thing.
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Kathy Anderson
President and Executive Director
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By now, after ten years of writing this column, you know that my own 16 years of Catholic school education were essential to forming my life, values, faith, and achievements. These values were reinforced at home, but let’s face it—more time during the day is spent on school activities than at home. Being with students that share and celebrate the same values creates those bonds that last a lifetime and sets us up not to be afraid to go with our ethics in achieving our goals.
The Catholic Community Foundation is in a similar place. In ten operating years, we have been able to generate almost $500 million in grants through charitable funds established by our clients. This is a new way of giving to faith-based charities, like our parishes, schools, and the broad ministry work of the archdiocese. Without this funding, many of our schools and ministries would not be able to serve our families.
We make it easy to be a philanthropist in a world that is all about managing budgets, getting the most from tax benefits, and making choices for the impact of a dollar given to charity. Our foundation has helped individuals, families, and charities grow their philanthropy by being a solution-oriented source of monetizing assets of all types into charitable funds that do good.
If more people knew about the value of Catholic schools and CCF-LA, I’m convinced our communities would be thriving with people of values and convictions that can make a difference in our world. Let’s not make these two issues the best-kept secrets in our archdiocese. Help us get the word out!
PS. In this issue, we highlight the story of Lois McVey Johnson. At 99, she is the oldest living graduate of Sacred Heart High School and an amazing example of how a Catholic school education shaped her awesome life.
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Tim Johnson & Lois McVey Johnson | |
Sacred Heart Comet Continues to Inspire
Sacred Heart High School’s oldest graduate (1943) and former Student Body President, Lois McVey Johnson, celebrates 99 years of vigor, Catholic fervor/devotion, and an effervescent, positive attitude with her #2 son, Tim (“Coach”). A 1st Gen student, Lois commuted daily from Eagle Rock via a 1-mile walk, a street trolley, and a bus (“It was soo worth it”)
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Lois dated Cathedral boys but met a Loyola High/Loyola U man and was married her senior year at Immaculate Heart College. Once again, a Student Body President, Lois finished college and raised 10 children (8 boys!) while her husband, Chuck Johnson, was the Sport’s Editor for the Catholic Newspaper, The Tidings, for 45 years. With Lois & Chuck’s example, all 10 children graduated from Catholic elementary, high schools, and colleges, as have her 30 grandchildren and 6 great Grands, so far….
With her deep, committed Catholic faith, Lois was an enthusiastic volunteer for her parish, faith formation, the Right-to-Life organization, and Catholic education. In her honor, her son has volunteered to remotely assist students at her alma mater in their college admissions and financial aid pursuits, work he has been dedicated to for the last 13 years in the Diocese of San Jose.
First Generation Lois has been Blessed, and the Blessings started when she was ‘launched’ at Sacred Heart. With a ready, warm smile, Lois recounts her classmates making cookies to send to her US Army brothers and bunkmates in Germany during WWII. She credits her Drama teacher for making her feel more "OK." Many lifelong friends were established at Sacred Heart. Lois remains the oldest Sacred Heart graduate, but she gets teary-eyed as she remembers where it all started. Go Comets!
Tim Johnson
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L to R: Gina Lopez and Bonnie Peralta | |
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As the dust settles in our new suite, we want to remind everyone of our new physical and mailing address. All correspondence should go to 330 North Brand Suite 640, Glendale, CA 91203. We will cancel our post office box in Glendale, so please use our physical address only. Also, if you are sending mail via a courier, please request a signature to ensure we have received the delivery.
As we settle in and get to know our new surroundings, we are reminded how blessed we are to be in Glendale. We pray for our new space to remind us of how fortunate we are and that our meaningful work uplifts those who benefit from our foundation and our generous clients. Thank you all; together we will make a difference.
Gina Lopez
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August Performance Financial Market Updates | |
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CCF-LA has a new investment advisor. BofA Merrill will begin managing our Balanced Pool portfolio effective October 2024. While we expect to continue our finely balanced returns, we will also be able to have greater surety that our investments stay within our Catholic values and also keep our costs down to further benefit our clients.
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Armando Nevarez
Controller and Assistant Treasurer
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August 2024 Performance Report for the pooled funds managed by CCF-LA. For the month of August, the Balanced Pool portfolio returned +1.88%, net of fees, bringing the YTD returns to +10.21%. The Intermediate Fund pool returned +1.12%, bringing the YTD returns to +5.93%, and the estimated annual yield on the Short-Term Investment Fund account is currently +5.39%.
August was a volatile month for equities. Disappointing US economic data paired with an interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan led to a short-lived sell-off to start the month. Most markets recovered their losses by the middle of the month as solid Q2 earnings showed few signs of an economic slowdown. Interest rate expectations moved meaningfully during the month, and the prospect of lower interest rates bolstered investor sentiment.
The U.S. equity market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, gained +2.4% in August. Sector performance expanded outside of the technology sector as earnings growth broadened meaningfully throughout the month. Outside the U.S., equity markets rallied as a weaker U.S. dollar helped returns. Developed markets, measured by the MSCI EAFE Index, increased +3.3% for the month. In fixed income, the Bloomberg US Aggregate Index gained +1.4% in August.
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Client Services-Development | |
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Tania Naaman
Director of Client Services
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William Cruz
Manager of Business Development
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A Decade of the Transformative Impact from the Catholic Community Foundation should not be a Secret
Throughout our nearly ten-year operating history, the Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles (CCF-LA) has transformed charitable giving by directing nearly $500 million in grants through funds created by our generous clients. This result is something to be celebrated and heard across our communities, marking the important mission of CCF-LA to strengthen faith-based charities, including parishes, schools, and the extensive ministry work of the archdiocese.
CCF-LA programs make it easy for anyone to be a philanthropist. We manage tax reporting, financial investments in a Catholic environment, and ensure that grants are made in a timely way that impacts the beneficiaries. This in turn lifts the communities we serve. It’s the stories of our clients and our grantees that need to be told and not kept secret.
During our short history, we have attempted to use this monthly E-newsletter format and our annual statement of accountability to tell these stories. We also support our clients in their events to publicize the amazing work of this foundation. Through these publications, we provide the blueprint for how a community foundation works and our core charitable fund management programs.
Imagine a community where the benefits of Catholic community foundation were to be widely recognized. Such awareness can help all of our local communities to thrive and will inspire individuals to make a positive impact. We encourage you to share the CCF-LA story with your friends, family members, parishioners, and co-workers to enhance our efforts. You will be helping us to unlock the secret of philanthropy management to make a difference in the communities where we live.
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L to R: Kathy Anderson, Archbishop José Gomez and Fr. Michael Mesa. | |
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Blessing Event
On August 28th, our new offices in Glendale were blessed by Archbishop José Gomez, with some of our clients, our bankers, and our staff on hand to join in a champagne reception following the blessing. It was ten years ago this summer that the Archbishop worked with a dedicated team of professionals, including me, to create what is now the largest Catholic community foundation in the country. During this time, we quickly learned about charitable giving tools, investment management options, and the basics for starting a financial operation from scratch.
Kathy Anderson
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2024 Los Angeles Catholic Prayer
Breakfast
The Catholic Prayer Breakfast on September 17 was headlined by Fr. Michael Schmitz, who is most notable for his social media presence, through The Hallow app, the Bible in a Year podcast, and as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Deluth. Speaking to 2,200 people on the Cathedral plaza, it was the largest attendance ever in the 19-year history of this event. CCF-LA sponsored a table for staff and guests to attend this memorable morning, which also included an early morning rosary in the Cathedral.
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Don't Forget the Ravens!
In addition to having our new offices blessed by Archbishop Gomez, we had another sort of blessing as well. Two ravens nestled themselves in the shade right outside our window when it was 106 degrees outside. In honor of our Catholic faith, we have named one Benedict, the saint who was saved from poison by a friendly raven, and one Kevin, the patron saint of crows and ravens. We have been told that the appearance of ravens on your windowsill is a sign of harmony in your dwelling. We would agree with that assessment!
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Don't Miss the Upcoming Events | |
St. John's Seminary 85th Anniversary Gala | |
2024 CALL Angel Award Honorees | |
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Mission Statement
The Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles empowers charitable individuals and organizations across cultures and generations through professional philanthropy management solutions that allow clients to develop and sustain their philanthropy in support of Catholic values.
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