Our meeting was held at the Prescott Resort, which is our home for the foreseeable future. President Clent Walker presided and gave us the prayer, Larry Noble led us in the pledge to our flag, John Stewart recited the 4 Way Test and Art Harrington led us in a rousing rendition of Viva La Rotary.
Thought of the day by Bud Ackerman: People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Todd Clancy announced the recent distribution of Covid masks: 500 to Community Cupboard, 500 to Yarnell food bank, 500 to the Womens’ Shelter and 500 to the Center for Community Justice. A total of 5,000 have been distributed in Yavapai County by Todd and his wife, Xiao Zhu, who solicited them from her friends in Taiwan. Everyone congratulated Jerry Hulm for a great job with the technical communications.
Guest: Laura Vanderburg, a prospective member from Cody, Wyoming.
Sargent of arms Jane Anne Shimizu fined everyone $1 for being happy, Art Harrington $1 for leaving early and everyone$1 for Jerry Hulms’ prowess with communications. President Clent spun the wheel for forgetting the thought of the day, paid $5. Richard Hernandez carried the Spittoon. Lots of happy bucks.
John Stewart introduced guest speaker Lisa Sahady, Regional Philanthropic Advisor for the Arizona Community Foundation (AFC), a state-wide endowment organization. Lisa works with all the non-profits in Yavapai County.
An endowment fund provides a permanent fund, with the principle preserved and invested. A portion of the investment earnings are distributed as income to an organization, or the annual payout can be reinvested in the fund for continual growth with a large payout later, providing a reliable source of income for an organization.
AFC, established in 1978, is family of funds that support needs in perpetuity, created by individuals and families and has 1 billion dollars in assets and is among the 25 largest foundations in the nation, comprised of 2,500 component funds with 50 million dollars in grants distributed in 2020 and has distributed over 700 million dollars since 1978. Their mission is to lead, serve and collaborate to mobilize enduring philanthropy for a better Arizona, doing three things: endow, invest and give charitable dollars out. Over the past 20 years, the investments have averaged a 7% return. 4.25% is distributed, 1.25% is kept for growth and 1% goes to administration costs. The endowment grows, so more is distributed than went in originally, providing scholarships and endowments. AFC of Yavapai county is the largest of 6 affiliates with 5 investment pools that are diverse, flexible and transparent, with leadership provided by a diverse, 22 AFC member board of directors.
An endowment fund of $521,590, started by an individual to provide law enforcement with K9 dogs and training, has awarded $457,762 in grants and the fund balance today is $506,620. Each year, Arizona police departments can apply for K9 related funds. This is an example of how an endowment fund can provide assistance in perpetuity. Anyone interested in starting an endowment should contact Lisa Sahady, 928-553-7815 direct at the Arizona Community Foundation.
Last month, Sunup Rotary of Prescott embarked on a huge project to provide those in our community who are facing acute challenges with top-quality, 3-ply medical-grade masks which were purchased and then donated by friends in Taiwan. This week the Sunup delivered another 4000 of these masks, bringing our total mask donations to over 5000. The club delivered masks to the following shelters and food banks this week:
