Charles and Hazel Dickmann match Rotary Club Gifts to ARC Endowment
A few years ago, Charles Dickmann made an offer that his fellow Rotarians couldn’t refuse. He pledged to match, dollar for dollar, gifts of $1,000 to create the Anderson Rotary Club (ARC) Endowment within the Madison County Community Foundation. Members were generous in their response to the challenge. "That money provided the seed," explains Keith Trent, club president for 2004-2005. "Since then, we’ve transferred some excess funds and have encouraged our members to help the endowment grow. This year we were able to make grants of more than $1,300 to area agencies and institutions." Although grant requests aren’t limited to a particular type of program, several youth-related projects have earned past support. "We’ve bought YMCA memberships for kids who couldn’t afford them, and we’ve provided shoes for children staying at Alternatives’ domestic abuse shelter.
"The ARC Endowment is a donor-advised fund, which means that a committee of Rotary members actively participates in the selection of grant recipients. "The Community Foundation facilitates the process for us," says Trent. "The Foundation staff receives the grant applications and then meets with our committee as we decide how we want to allocate the funds.
"The endowment initiative is in keeping with Rotary International’s motto—"Service Above Self"—and mirrors on a smaller scale what the parent organization accomplishes worldwide. Rotary International was founded for the purpose of promoting understanding and peace through humanitarian service. Among its most aggressive goals is a global effort to eradicate polio by June 30, 2005, the date that coincides with the conclusion of the organization’s centennial year. Thanks to donations exceeding $600 million, members around the world will have good cause to celebrate when they convene at their annual meeting in Chicago, site of Rotary International’s founding.
"We believe in bringing that same kind of philanthropy down to the local level," says Trent. "We want our club’s endowment to promote understanding, peace and service here in Madison County. As an example, by supporting the work of Alternatives Inc., we are helping create more peaceful homes. This makes Anderson Rotary Club’s efforts consistent with what Rotary International succeeds in doing internationally."
In addition to creating and building the ARC Endowment within the Community Foundation, club members invite Foundation representatives to participate in several local Rotary events each year. As part of the program portion of a spring meeting, the Foundation announces recipients of the Youth Leadership Award. Rotary Club also is the venue for recognizing winners of the annual Community Service Award. These honors are underwritten by funds established at the Foundation by Charles and Hazel Dickmann. The large audience that attends the meetings—Rotary has 150 members—ensures high visibility not only for the awards recipients but also for the Foundation’s role in managing the funds that support the awards.
"The Madison County Community Foundation is a real partner in promoting philanthropy," says Trent. "Our members have confidence in it, we know it’s solid, we believe in its mission, and we trust its leadership."
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