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The Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis

The Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis is a private, stand-alone corporation that serves as the primary community charitable arm of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis.  Annual contributions to the Foundation are added to an eternal endowment fund and allocated income from that fund is utilized to support grants for charitable and educational purposes, primarily in the Indianapolis and Central Indiana areas.

 

The Foundation is governed by a group of nine active Rotarians who have been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis, plus the four Officers of the Club and the immediate past president of the Club who serve as ex-officio members of the Foundation Board. The club Sgt. at Arms does not serve on the Foundation Board.

 

Foundation History
The Foundation was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and incorporated as a not-for-profit organization under the laws of the State of Indiana on April 15th, 1947. A Club document that was published at that time stated that the intention of this organization is that "this agency of Rotary is to be a means to promote the well known philosophy of SERVICE ABOVE SELF and, at the same time, stimulate the desire of every Rotarian to be of service to his fellow men and to society in general". The development of the Foundation was catalyzed by the widow of Isaac R. Holycross, a Rotarian, who offered to donate $25,000 to the Club to "promote charitable purposes under the direction of Rotary". At this time, the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club accepted her generous offer and established the Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis to serve as the charitable arm of the Club.

 

Since that time, annual fund drives have been held by the Foundation and a number of Rotarians have made significant bequests to the Foundation.

 

Thanks to the generosity of the Indianapolis Rotarians and their families, the level of the endowment fund of The Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis now stands at nearly six million dollars, making it one of the largest Rotary Foundations in the United States.

 

Foundation Support
The activities of the Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis are directed primarily to "Service Above Self" in the Indianapolis and Central Indiana area. In contract, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, also supported by Indianapolis Rotarians, supports internationally oriented projects, such as scholarship programs, group study exchange programs, health-hunger-humanity grant related projects such as "Polio Plus" to eradicate the threat of polio around the Earth, global literacy projects, etc. The Paul Harris Fellow program is an important element of the fund-raising program of the Rotary International Foundation.

 

The two foundations, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation of Indianapolis, are complementary, one to the other, and both are worthy of support by all Indianapolis Rotarians.

 

Foundation Officers
Bill Witchger, Pres., 06/30/09
Fred Brames, V.P., 06/30/10
Mary Burger, Treasurer, 06/30/09
Mark Blade, Sec., 06/30/09

 

Foundation Directors
Kathy Cookerly, Director, 06/30/09
Tom Surgener, Director, 06/30/09
Phyllis Geeslin, Director, 06/30/09
Erik Johnson, Director, 06/30/10
Betty Stilwell, Director, 06/30/10
David Dreyer, Director, 06/30/11
Sue Tempero, Director, 06/30/11
Dennis Sponsel, Ex Officio, 06/30/09
Julian Peebles, Ex. Officio, 06/30/09
Matthew Will, Ex Officio, 06/30/09
Ralph Taylor, Ex Officio, 06/30/09

* ex-officio appointments
** non-voting member