Our Board and Staff

The Community Foundation of Portage and District is governed by a Board of Directors who serve voluntarily. This group of Directors brings local knowledge, experience, and a network of community relationships to the CFPD Board and Committees. The various Committees guiding CFPD practices are the Executive Committee; Nominating Committee; Grants Committee*; Fund Development Committee*; Governance Committee; Investment & Finance Committee; Awards & Bursaries Committee*; and the Special Events Committee (committees indicated by a * also include community volunteers in addition to board members).

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

—Margaret Mead

Meet the Board

Introducing the 2024-2025 Board of Directors

Chair

Warren Neufeld

“Coming Soon”

Vice Chair

Cathie McFarlane

“My name is Cathie McFarlane, and I’m the Vice Chair with the Community Foundation of Portage and District. The Foundation is important, because it’s an organization where people wanting to donate to causes within our community can do so—and then the earnings from those donations are used for various projects in the community that are important.”

Treasurer

Doug Pedden

“Coming Soon”

Past Chair

Ken Brennan

“Hi, my name is Ken Brennan. I’ve been on the board of directors with the CFPD for about seven years. I would like to make a request: if you belong to a large company with a large staff, or if you belong to or own a small company, or if you’re just an individual, if you would give us a consideration, have a look at what we’ve done in the community in the last three decades and talk to us. Come and see us, and let’s see if we can all work together to make Portage la Prairie and district a better place. Thank you.”

Director

Pat Nodrick

“The Community Foundation of Portage and District has become a cornerstone organization for our community. It exists solely to improve the quality of life within our community—not only just for today, but for the future. I am so grateful to be part of this growing and lasting endeavour.”—Pat Nodrick, Director

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Director

Sherrie Palmer

“My name is Sherrie Palmer, and I’m excited to be a part of the Community Foundation Board. As a trusted organization with a long history in Portage and District, the Foundation allows those who give to have an everlasting impact in our community. The community endowment model—investment income from gifts—allows us to provide grants each year that benefit many worthy organizations. So many needs would go unmet without the support of the Foundation and the generous contributions from our community members.”

Director

Stephanie Verhoeven

“My name is Stephanie Verhoeven, and I am proud to say I have been involved with
CFPD for about 10 years. I love how the Foundation helps address so many diverse areas of need, through grants to our community partners to implement a wide range of projects and plans, and with bursaries to help people achieve their goals and dreams. I also love that people giving to the Foundation have so much choice in how their donation benefits the community, by donating to the general “Smart & Caring Community Fund”, or one of the many named funds dedicated to grants or bursaries. The interest earned off these funds is used according to how the fund was established, and the fund will exist forever. It’s been amazing to see the growth of the Foundation and know that the funds will be here forever to address the evolving needs of our community. Portage is a great place, with many strengths, and CFPD is just one of the reasons I love being part of this community!”

Director

Garry Wright

“My name is Garry Wright, and I am proud to serve as a volunteer on the Board of our Community Foundation. Foundations follow a wonderful model for community support, and the CFPD is no exception. I think of two words when I think of the work that our Foundation does: ‘community’, and ‘forever’.”