FAMILY COMMITMENT HANDBOOK
Key Information to Know about your Family Commitment
It is what comes THROUGH you, not just what you do. Anything that comes to Foothills because of your efforts counts for your family commitment.
If friends or family members donate money or items, win auction items or do any other item outlined in this handbook - please let us know so we can link it to your family commitment.
Our database is based on Parent Names If you have people donating on your families behalf, please use the PARENT NAME.
We
are collaborative
At Foothills we understand that things can change. If you are finding challenges in meeting your family commitment for any reason, please communicate with us so we can ensure we document this information and find a solution that works for your family.
There are a lot of options, however if you have the ability and flexibility - cash and financial donations are the best option for Foothills.
Reception staff (Gina and Rachel) DO NOT HAVE access to family commitment information and cannot answer questions about family commitment.
Who to Contact
What is Family Commitment & Why do we have it?
What is Family Commitment:
Every family who joins Foothills Academy becomes part of a larger community working together to support our organization and youth to Find Understanding, Build Confidence and Maximize Potential. Since its beginning, no child in need has been turned away from Foothills Academy Society due to inability to pay.
Our Family Commitment is needed:
To ensure low student-teacher ratios, allowing for more individualized instruction and support
To support facility and program updates such as an outdoor classroom
To support our bursary program and ensure our programs are financially accessible to all
To maintain up-to-date technology in the classroom, supported by our full-time AT Specialist
To support our full-time Assistive Technology specialist to support our students
To support our on-site mental health support, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Therapy for our students
To provide a variety of field trips and other immersive, experiential and educational experiences without any additional cost to families
About your Family Commitment
There are 3 components to your Family Commitment:
1. Families must become members of the Foothills Academy Parents Association (FAPA)
This DOES NOT count towards your family commitment.
2. Parents/Guardians must attend two General Meetings (September and June, annually) to hear from Foothills Academy Society Administration.
September includes updates and information from the Board of Governors, Executive Directors and FAPA
June includes updates and information from the Board of Governors and Executive Directors and is the AGM for FAPA
3. Families will contribute to Foothills Academy Society's fundraising efforts.
The target for each family is $4000/year and up.
Reminder
This is a FAMILY COMMITMENT and is per family, not per student. Families with multiple children attending the school program will aim at approximately $4000/year and up.
It is important to note that FAPA and Foothills Academy Society are separate legal entities, and some activities with FAPA can be counted toward your family commitment (such as selling raffle tickets).
Foothills Academy Society & FAPA Working Together
While FAPA and Foothills Academy Society work together, it is important to note that these are separate legal entities and will remain so for legal and tax reasons.
Foothills Academy Society supports FAPA with items such as social media posts about the FAPA Car Raffle and including information in our weekly e-news about FAPA meetings and volunteer opportunities.
In addition, money raised through the FAPA Car Raffle, Casino Shifts and other opportunities is eligible for your family commitment in financial contributions and through volunteer hours at $25/hour. FAPA also informs Foothills Academy Society about what contributions have been made to family commitment.
Volunteer hours that are eligible through FAPA for your family commitment are:
1.Serving as an executive member (president, vice president, secretary, treasurer. etc.) for FAPA
2.Serving as a director for FAPA - a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 are needed per year to create and maintain a quorum for voting at FAPA meetings. Directors must attend 90% or more of FAPA meetings in the year.
3.Being involved with additional FAPA activities (raffle chair, casino chair, etc.)
4.Being on a FAPA committee
Attending a FAPA meeting is not eligible for a volunteer hours unless you are in an executive or director position with FAPA, or a member of a FAPA committee. All FAPA hours are reviewed by the FAPA president and Foothills staff to assess their eligibility, and must be approved the the FAPA president.
Updating Families
Foothills staff send out emails - every two months - to each parent/guardian individually with your Year to Date total.
You can expect to get these emails:
Mid-October
Mid-December
Mid-February
Mid-April
Mid-June
Mid-August
INFORMATION TO NOTE WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE EMAIL:
Some donations can take up to 3 months to arrive in our account from organizations such as: United Way, Benevity, Birdies for Kids, Canada Helps and more.
Your email will include subcategories like: Cash Donations
Merchandise Donations
Auction Purchases
Event Tickets
Event Sponsorships
FAPA Raffle Ticket Sales
Financial Donations
Tax Receipt Available: YES - 100%
Value Counted to Family Commitment: 100%
Details
All cash donations qualify for your family commitment. If others are donating on your family’s behalf, have your name(s) typed in the "connection to a current Foothills Academy family" box. The donation is made to have it counted towards your family commitment.
All donation forms will have a section asking if there is a connection to a current Foothills Academy family (see below).
If a donation is made on your behalf, and the person does not put A PARENT NAME in this box, please email bgare@foothillsacademy.org so that we can count the donation towards your family commitment.
Financial Donations
Employer Matching
Tax Receipt Available: VARIABLE
Value Counted to Family Commitment: 100% (Less fees deducted by employer or donation platform (i.e., Canada Helps)
Details
Many companies have donation programs and donation matching programs for their employees, which can range from:
1:1 matching - you donate $1000, and your company matches $1000
50% matching - you donate $1000, and your company matched $500
Your company allocates $100 for each employee to donate, and you donated your $100 to Foothills Academy Society.
Your employer will have information about these programs if they are available.
In all of the scenarios above, the TOTAL AMOUNT DONATED is counted towards your family commitment. In the three cases above, that would mean:
1:1 matching - you donate $1000, and your company matches $1000A total of $2000 counted towards your family commitment.
50% matching - you donate $1000, and your company matches $500 - A total of $1500 counted towards your family commitment. Your company allocates $100 for each employee to donate; you donated your $100 to Foothills - A Total of $100 counted towards your family commitment.
Financial Donations
Financial Donations Other Matching Programs
There are other opportunities to have your family commitment donations matched - such as Birdies for Kids. With these programs, the matched donations DO NOT COUNT toward your family commitment.
This is because public matching programs are applied for, managed and supported by Foothills Academy Society.
Grants & Corporate Partnerships
Tax Receipt Available: No
Value Counted to Family Commitment: Variable
Details:
Foothills Academy Society applies annually for grants and corporate partnerships. Supporting these efforts contributes to your Family Commitment, typically 10–50% of the grant/partnership value. The percentage counted depends on your level of involvement—the more support, the higher the value applied. For multi-year grants or partnerships, contributions are credited annually toward your Family Commitment.
Events - Sponsorship
Tax Receipt Available: NO
Value Counted to Family Commitment: 100%
Details:
Events for 2026 will include:
A Night To Shine: Foothills Academy Society's Annual Charity GalaNovember 8th, 2025
Foothills Academy Block Party - May 23rd, 2026
The Gordon Hoffman Charity Golf Tournament - July 2026
You, your company or your employer can be an event sponsor on a sliding scale of financial support from $750 - $25,000. If you can connect us to an event sponsor, their sponsorship amount will count toward your family commitment.
To ensure this is connected to your family commitment, ensure a PARENT NAME is listed on the registration, or email our office and let Brianna know so she can connect this sponsorship to your family commitment.
Events - Tickets
Tax Receipt Available: NO
Value Counted to Family Commitment: 100%
Specifics:
Events for 2026 will include:
A Night To Shine: Foothills Academy Society's Annual Charity
Gala - November 8th, 2025
The Gordon Hoffman Charity Golf Tournament - July 2026
To ensure this is connected to your family commitment, ensure a PARENT NAME is listed on the registration, or email our office and let Brianna know so she can connect this sponsorship to your family commitment.
Calgary Marathon
Tax Receipt Available: Variable
Value to Foothills: 100% of Pledges, 0% of Registration Fees
Details:
All pledges you collect count toward your family commitment.
Those who pledge money to your Calgary Marathon campaign will receive a tax receipt immediately from the online donation platform. You can collect pledges starting NOW and run or walk any distance, either on the day of the event or on your own time with the VIRTUAL option.
What is a virtual option?
The virtual option is a flexible way to participate. It can be done anytime without being onsite on race day. It’s great to have an ongoing goal.
Why start now?
This is an ongoing event, and we receive a report with updated totals every two weeks.
We also host the annual Calgary Marathon Afterparty on the same day, Sunday May 25th, from 11 AM - 4 PM.
As listed in other sections, volunteer hours and event sponsorship all count to your family commitment. You can be involved as a: Volunteer Sponsor
FAPA Raffle Ticket Sales
Tax Receipt Available: NO
Value to Foothills: 100%
Details:
Organized by FAPA and typically running from July to November, the annual FAPA Raffle has prizes such as cars, cash and technology. FAPA organizes this event.
Tickets sold by your family count toward your family commitment. AGLC Regulations do not allow any tax receipts to be issued for raffle ticket sales.
For any raffle tickets sold on behalf of your family where the person does not include a parent or guardian’s name please email raffle@foothillsacademy.org so that we can count the raffle ticket sales towards your family commitment.
Donating Items - Auction
Not all item donations are accepted
Tax Receipt Available: Variable
Value to Foothills: 100%
Details:
Items may be donated to Foothills Academy Society to fulfill your family commitment.
There is no deadline to donate items, they can be donated any time.
For an item to be eligible to donate, it must be:
New or in new condition (i.e., a signed jersey that is mounted and framed may not be new, but if in new condition, would still be eligible),
An item of good quality/value (i.e., a gift certificate to a spa or piece from a reputable artist) and Assessed and accepted by our fundraising team.
The process to donate your item is as follows: Click THIS LINK to fill out your item donation form.
Then our staff will: Review the form and photos and assess the item's value. Reach out about the value assessment and coordinate a drop-off time.
.
Please Note: Any items that have a value of over $1000 will be assessed professionally for CRA and auditor compliance.
Donating Items - School Program
Not all item donations are accepted
Tax Receipt Available: Variable
Value to Foothills: 100%
Details:
Items may be donated to Foothills Academy Society to fulfill your family commitment. These items may be requested for school programs - i.e., play costumes, classroom art supplies (i.e., paper rolls), etc.
For an item to be eligible to donate, it must be:
Requested by email from a Foothills Academy Society Vice Principal or E-News.
Delivered to the school in time for the project.
The process to donate your item is as follows:
Review the email from Foothills Academy Society requesting items. RESPOND to the Foothills Academy Society staff confirming what you donate and when.
Deliver the item(s) in alignment with the timeline from Foothills Academy Society.
Then our staff will:
Provide a value of the items via email to you. Record the donation on your family commitment.
Any items that have a value of over $1000 will be assessed professionally for CRA and auditor compliance.
Hourly Volunteering
All Opportunities (Updated September 2024)
Tax Receipt Available: NO
Value to Foothills: $25/hour
Details:
All volunteers must:
Sign up individually
Be over 16
Be independent in their volunteering
Submit and pass a vulnerable sector screening with CPS.
There are four main ways to volunteer:
Recurring FAS committees
Recurring FAPA committees (see the FAPA page of this handbook)
Day of event options
One-day opportunities at Foothills Academy Society
We update volunteer options here.
Please note: We do our best to place volunteers in the most appropriate opportunity where their skills are best suited. That may mean a volunteer may not be placed at the event of their choice.
Hourly Volunteering
For FAPA (Updated September 2024)
Tax Receipt Available: NO
Value to Foothills: $25/hour
Details:
There are ongoing volunteer opportunities with the Foothills Academy Parents Association (FAPA). These opportunities have the same dollar value per hour and are managed by FAPA, then reported to Foothills Academy Society for logging to your family commitment.
These can include:
Being an Executive Member or Director for FAPA
Being an active member of a FAPA Committee
Volunteering for a FAPA event
FAPA Volunteer opportunities are included in your Family Commitment email and available online here.
FAPA volunteer hours are eligible at the discretion of the FAPA President.
Skip The Depot
Tax Receipt Available - YES
Value to Foothills - 100%
Details:
Skip the Depot is a service that comes to your home to pick up recycling, which can then be connected to your account, and the money collected will go to your Family Commitment.
Please note these donations are collected every 3 months.
You can also refer others to donate through this same process. If you are doing so, please let us know by email at bgare@foothillsacademy.org with the person's first and last name, email and your name.
FlipGive - New
Tax Receipt Available - No
Value to Foothills - 100%
Details:
FlipGive is an easy and passive way to contribute to your family commitment, through the use of Gift Cards.
The amount you have contributed can range between 1% up to 20% back - depending on the place the gift card is for.
These gift cards can also be used for online shopping.
All gift cards are digital, making this an easy way to choose places you already shop or spend money and have a percentage count toward your family commitment.
Join using this link.
Places you can buy gift cards:
Grocery Stores - Safeway, Sobey’s, Real Candian Super Store, Walmart, Fresh Co. and more.
Clothing - H&M, LuluLemon, Marks, Winners, West49, SportChek, and more
Food - Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Boston Pizza, earls and more
Gas - almost all gas stations.
Other - Indigo, Home Depot, Home Hardware, Cabela’s and more.
Cards and Calendars - New
Tax Receipt Available - No
Value to Foothills - 100%
Details:
We collect art and photograph work from our students each year and make cards and calendars with this art.
You can order cards and calendars from October 1 to November 15. An email with instructions on how to order these items will be sent.
Cards and calendars will be available to be picked up in early December.
