Joining the Yolo Community Foundation Family of Funds

In considering working with the Yolo Community Foundation, we considered not only its mission and services, but also the family of funds it supports currently. These are the funds that the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship fund will be joining (see YCF website for more details):

  • Bob Morris Family Community Fund - To provide high school scholarship funds, particularly students with an interest in science, music, and agriculture.
  • Burns-Bellhorn Scholarship Fund - The Burns-Bellhorn Fund Scholarship was established to benefit further education to a Winters High School senior to encourage and assist their participation in making the world a better Place. Applicants must be a Winters High School senior planning on attending a Junior College, Trade, Technical, or vocational school with a career goal of becoming a tradesman, business person or entrepreneur.
  • Cache Creek Conservancy Reserve Fund - The reserve fund is set up to meet the future needs of the organization.
  • Cache Creek Nature Preserve Endowment Fund - The fund supports the development, operation, and maintenance of the Jan T. Lowrey Cache Creek Nature Preserve.
  • Chan Family Fund - To fund general charitable purposes.
  • David and Margret Gerriets Family Fund - To provide funding for the following agencies: Yolo Hospice, Suicide Prevention Services, Grace-In-Action, Davis Community Meals, Davis Schools Foundation, and the Yolo SPCA.
  • Davis Arts Center Long-Term Investment Fund - The purpose of the fund is to support the Davis Arts Center’s mission to provide a gathering place for dynamic engagement with the arts. Through multidisciplinary classes and programs for the regional community, the Arts Center inspires creative expression in people of all ages and fosters an environment for the arts to flourish.
  • Davis Recreation & Community Services Program Fund - To provide long term, consistent source of financial support for the City of Davis Community Services division, including but not limited to, assisting with ongoing operational costs for recreation, community and social services programs.
  • Davis Senior Services Endowment Fund - To provide long term and consistent source for financial support for the City of Davis Senior Services Division, including but not limited to, supporting and promoting the ongoing activities, services and facilities associated with the City of Davis Senior Center. 
  • Davis Senior Services Improvement Fund - To provide long term, consistent source of financial support for the City of Davis Senior Services division, including but not limited to, assisting with ongoing capital maintenance needs, facility improvements, and special projects desired at the City of Davis Senior Center and its associated programs and services. 
  • Friends of the Davis Library Fund - The purpose of this fund is to assist the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library in efforts to raise funds, plan for expansion of physical facilities, develop the library’s book collection, encourage reading programs for children, and to promote the library as a cultural center for the city of Davis.
  • Friends of the Yolo Community Foundation - To support operating expenses of the Yolo Community Foundation (YCF) as recommended by the YCF Advisory Board.
  • George W. Hinkle Fund - The fund emphasizes education and fitness activities for children and seniors, but is not limited to this.
  • Joan Q. Hogan Endowment - To support Yolo County well into the future through grants to Yolo County organizations and support for operating expenses related to such work.
  • Lew Franck Family Fund - To help protect or restore the environment (lakes, rivers, wetlands and open spaces in Yolo and El Dorado County, as well as to help meet future needs of Yolo County.
  • Putah Creek Council Endowment Fund -  Putah Creek Expendable Fund
  • Richard and Kyoko Luna Family Fund - For general charitable purposes.
  • Roy and Cynthia Kroener Family Scholarship - To provide scholarships to qualified students from Davis Senior High School to pursue higher education.
  • Senior Citizens of Davis Endowment Fund - To support and benefit the Davis Senior Center and its participants and to carry out other and charitable activities associated with this purpose forever.
  • Stallard Family Fund - To support the arts, education, the environment, and other charitable purposes. 
  • Stephens DeWall County Library Staff Fund - To support the Yolo County Library (YCL) employees by funding staff development events and opportunities to celebrate and honor the good work of YCL employees.
  • Timothy Casson Memorial Scholarship Fund - The Timothy Casson Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by Paul and Gail Casson in memory of their son, Timothy Casson, who promoted small business ownership as a profession. Applicants must be a Winters High School senior planning on attending a Junior College, Trade, Technical, or vocational school with a career goal of becoming a tradesman, business person or entrepreneur.
  • Western Yolo Recreation and Aquatic Fund - To support the annual operations and maintenance of the Aquatic Recreation, a 10 acre public park and swimming pool in Esparto, CA and to support future infrastructure improvements and repairs of the park facility and grounds.
  • Wide, Wide World Fund - To promote educational and cultural enrichment for students in Winters schools that will open a wider world to them. Monies from this fund may also be used to support the Burns-Bellhorn Scholarship Fund. 
  • William and Nancy Roe Fund - For general philanthropy.
  • Winters Senior Fund - To support seniors activities and facilities in Winters and other related purposes.
  • Woodland Shakespeare Club - For the general operation of the Woodland Shakespeare Club.
  • Yolo Children and Families Fund - The purpose of this fund is to ensure that programs exist throughout the county to improve the health, education and wellbeing of children ages 0-5 years and their families.
  • Yolo County Children’s Alliance Charitable Fund - To Support the mission of the Yolo County Children’s Alliance to assess, coordinate, and act to strengthen and support the continuum of prevention and intervention services and resources of children,youth and their families.
  • Yolo County Community Impact Fund - To support grantmaking to Yolo County nonprofit organizations, including but not limited to arts and cultures, basic human needs, education and community health, environment, and YoYoSA grants, as recommended by the Yolo Community Foundation Advisory Board.
  • Yolo Youth Service Award - The Yolo Youth Service Awards (YoYoSA) program is designed to promote and reward Yolo County youth volunteering with local nonprofit organizations, and encourage Yolo County nonprofits to engage with youth volunteers. Yolo Community Foundation is proud to recognize tomorrow’s leaders in local philanthropy.

Yo Yolo Community Fund

So, the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship is being set up with the Yolo Community Foundation--what are they all about? 

Say hello to the YCF

Say hello to the YCF

Yolo Community Foundation (YCF) was founded in 2001 by a group of community-minded Yolo County residents. YCF promotes philanthropy by serving as a public foundation through which: 1) community members pursue their own charitable goals; 2) local nonprofits benefit from YCF programs and events; and 3) youth learn the meaning of community involvement and service. 

YCF is thus well-suited in its mission to support our effort with the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship Fund. Also, with its 501(c)(3) status granted by the IRS, the Yolo Community Foundation is registered as a public, nonprofit charitable organization, which makes donations to the fund tax deductible. As an affiliate of the larger Sacramento Region Community Foundation, it also provides our fund with important administration, compliance, reporting, governance and other services. 

For example, scholarship funds housed at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation are subject to the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and the Foundation provides uniform oversight to all scholarship funds to ensure appropriate Fund Committee composition and guard against conflict of interest. Depending on the ultimate set-up, it will also assist with the scholarship payouts.

Further, as this is to be an Endowed Scholarship Fund, meant to exist in perpetuity to carry out its stated purpose, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation will for its affiliate, the Yolo Community Foundation, invest the money designated to the fund via its selected investment advisor. Like all endowed funds, it will help us establish an appropriate scholarship amount (or scholarships, if we deem fit) to ensure that the Fund retains enough money to award scholarships every year into the future without tapping the principal (or fund corpus). As noted, the money donated to the fund is invested in a portfolio of stocks and bonds, much like a 401 K, and the return on this invested capital is what is used to pay the scholarship recipients.

Of course, the YCF/SacRegF charges a fee for its services as does their investment advisor, and this must be factored into how much the fund pays out each year. Each Community Foundation has its own guidelines for this, set in accordance with the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (UPMIFA).   

In subsequent posts, we'll look at some of the other funds, including scholarship funds supported by the Yolo Community Foundation and share some due diligence on the investment advisor it uses.   

Meanwhile, check out the websites of both the Yolo Community Foundation and the Sacramento Region Foundation. You might also want to take part in their Big Day of Giving on May 3.   

Fairfield School is Turning 150!

How old is the oldest school in the Davis school district? The answer is Fairfield School at 150. Apparently, there is a 150th Anniversary celebration coming up on Saturday, May 7, and everyone’s invited. So I will be there. 

Fairfield as seen on my last visit in March 2016

The party begins promptly at 1 pm at the school on 26960 County Road 96 west of Davis. Mrs. Neu will be honored in a special ceremony, along with the late Ernie Pfanner and Barbara Stroeve Nichols, who also passed away in March -- plus many others who’ve helped make the school a nurturing environment for students these past two centuries.

Going to need to learn the story of Ernie Pfanner and the sandbox.

According to The Davis Enterprise: 

“Deputy Superintendent Clark Bryant will read a proclamation, students will perform the Fairfield School song and all will enjoy contradancing with a professional caller. At 2 p.m., cake and fresh fruit will be served, along with lemonade and sparkling cider.

Following the ceremony and refreshments, all are welcome to socialize, admire the grounds and artwork, add data to the Fairfield School timeline and sign the school’s guestbook.”
— The Davis Enterprise, April 21, 2016

They say that RSVPs are appreciated, at http://tinyurl.com/Fairfield150th. For more information, email volunteer coordinator Lis Harvey atlovely@gmail.com or leave her a message at 530-758-2667, ext. 152.

Can someone indicate in the comments what the Fairfield School timeline is all about?

 

Food Fairy Columnist Features Mrs. Neu

Mrs. Neu was featured this past week in Food Fairy Julie Cross' column in The Davis Enterprise:  

“I met Mrs. Neu through Carrots in the Classroom, of course — she would never miss an opportunity for her class to learn something worthwhile. I had known of her for years already, as several honorary nieces and nephews attended Fairfield School. The children always said her name in the vaguely hushed tone usually reserved for rock stars or winning athletes.

Mrs. Neu deserved that tone. She ran her classroom with equal parts love, passion and firmness. Her students — kindergartners and first-graders, mind you — were always well-behaved while still being excited and involved — an almost magical state for that age, as any parent will attest.”
— "Food Fairy: Inspiring teachers’ legacy lives on," By Julie Cross, The Davis Enterprise, April 20, 2016

Julie also captures well how Mrs. Neu taught both children and adults in her classroom: 

“As far as I could tell, she applied the same formula to anyone who walked into her classroom, without regard to age. I think from her perspective there was very little difference between a kindergartner and a brand-new instructor. If she saw a chance to teach, she taught.”

She also honors Dorothy Peterson in her column, who also recently passed away. Dorothy started Carrots in the Classroom, serving up cooking classes to hundreds of Davis kids over the past 15 years, including my Mrs. Neu's classroom at fairfield. May they both rest in peace.

Iconic David Enterprise Columnist Bob Dunning's Goodbye

My family wanted to publicly thank Bob Dunning for his heartfelt goodbye to our mother. Even under deadline and without us getting back to him with more background info on time, the Wary I got it right:

“Barbara Neu taught with great passion and purpose and was a true gift from God to all of us … she will be missed …”
— Bob Dunning, The Wary I, The Davis Enterprise. April 1, 2016

  

Viewing the Barbara Neu Memorial Video

Several people have asked if they could view the Barbara Neu Memorial Video that was shown at the life celebration event at the Davis Community Church. If you missed it, or, you just want to see it again, we've posted it on YouTube (at least for a limited time).  Here it is ...

This is the video shown at Barbara Neu's Memorial Celebration on April 3, 2016. It is produced in loving memory of my Mom (March 19, 1940 - March 30, 2016). 

Thanks to Fairfield alumnus Stephen de Ropp for his video editing assistance.

Thank you for your support

Thank you to all who donated and left comments on the Donationto site. Thanks to you, we raised $4,750 at post time. 

Mrs. Neu would thank you, too

Mrs. Neu would thank you, too

As a next step, we are happy to confirm that the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship Fund of Yolo Community Foundation is now set up and ready to accept tax-deductible donations with 501(c)(3) status. We will be donating all the funds collected (so far, and going forward) to this newly-established endowment scholarship fund and work with the Yolo Community Foundation to set up the scholarship particulars later in the year (we still need to reach the $25,000 goal to finalize the endowed fund).

If you would like to make a donation to the fund directly (and get the tax deductibility), the fund has been added as an option to the online-giving page of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation (of which the Yolo Community Foundation is an affiliate), for donors who wish to gift by credit card. If you go to their website at www.sacregcf.org and click on GIVE NOW in the upper right-hand corner, it will take you to their donation page (https://ssl.charityweb.net/sacregcf/). Under “Please use my donation for,” there is a pull-down menu, and you may select the Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship (it's the second option on the list). Donors who wish to donate by check can make their checks out to YCF-Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship and mail them to:

Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship Fund of Yolo Community Foundation
c/o Sacramento Region Community Foundation
955 University Avenue, Suite A
Sacramento, CA 95825

How to select Barbara Neu Memorial Scholarship on the SacReg Community Foundation web form

We'd like to thank Raphael Moore for his help in introducing us to the local community foundations, as well as Babs Sandeen, Executive Director of the Yolo Community Foundation and Fran Baxter-Guigli, Donor Services Officer, with the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. But, most of all, we thank all of you for your support and donating to an idea that we fortunately stumbled upon to memorialize my mother, Barbara Neu, that just seems right.