Charner’s Challenge
By Charner Reese
Dear Davis Islands Residents,
At the Annual Fall Civic Association Celebration on Nov. 12th, I announced a challenge to the residents of Davis Islands to match my $5,000 pledge toward $10,000 needed by the Davis Islands Civic Association to establish a Davis Islands Capital Improvement Fund account at the Community Foundation of Tampa.
The Community Foundation, a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, requires a minimum balance of $10,000 to establish and maintain an account. The advantage to such an account is the fact that the organization has 501(c)3 status, which allows donors to the Davis Islands Capital Improvement Fund to deduct their contributions from their federal income taxes.
Once the Davis Islands Civic Association establishes the DI Capital Improvement Fund account at the Community Foundation, an association-led campaign to raise funds for improvements to the community will begin. The Association will seek donations to the Fund for capital improvements identified in the community-approved DI Community (Vision) Plan and prioritized in the accompanying Strategic Action Plan. To read these documents, you can go to the Civic Association’s website at davisislandscivic.com and look for Davis Islands Community Plan and Strategic Action Plan.
Identified improvements include completing the envisioned greenway trail and walkway from the Tampa General Hospital to Seaplane Basin Park beach, restoring the historic Roy Jenkins swimming pool, and building a recreation/community center, among others.
Raising significant private funds is the surest way to make these improvements, given the City’s many priorities and limited funds. The preferred funding approach will be to partner with the City, thereby sharing the costs of improvements and leveraging dollars.
My $5,000 pledge toward the needed $10,000 will stand for 6 months starting November 12, 2008. If within the 6-month period, total pledges reach a minimum of $5,000, I will contribute $5,000 toward creating the DI Capital Improvement Fund at the Community Foundation of Tampa. If you are interested in making a pledge to help match my challenge and raise a total of $10,000, please email or call the Davis Islands Civic Association at davisislandscivic@gmail.com or 251-5421 with your name and contact information, and a board member will contact you. No donations will be collected by the Civic Association until the additional minimum amount of $5,000 in total pledges has been reached.
I hope you will join me in this worthwhile endeavor.
Charner Reese is a longtime resident of Davis Islands.
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