rcb foundation
The Rotary Club of Birmingham Foundation
Our Foundation
“Service Above Self” is the Rotary Motto, exemplified by the contributions of the RCB Foundation to the Birmingham area and our international community. In 1986, RCB established the Rotary Club of Birmingham Foundation as a 501(c)(3) organization to provide support for our service projects in the Birmingham community and abroad. To fulfill its charitable mission, the Foundation encourages contributions for both current use and endowed funds. Our club members support the Foundation with quarterly contributions, multi-year gifts, and legacy commitments. We also welcome contributions from other members of the community, including corporations and other foundations to further our mission. Birmingham Rotarians also strongly support the Rotary International Foundation, based in Evanston, IL. The Rotary International Foundation is responsible for an array of projects that save and invigorate lives of people around the world and enhance international friendship and understanding. Its signature project, “Polio Plus,” has worked to eradicate the threat of polio around the world. The two foundations both aim to make this world a better place.
Letter from the RCB Foundation Chair
Your contributions to our foundation make a real difference in people’s lives, not just in Birmingham, but around the world. Because of your gifts, we have been able to ensure that:
More Birmingham City School students are able to pursue college degrees and cover their basic expenses, like textbooks
More children are able to access high-quality Pre-K in Birmingham
High school students throughout the metro area learned peace-building skills
Communities along the Gulf Coast were able to recover from natural disasters
More women in Sri Lanka will be screened and treated for cervical cancer than ever before
Children in our state will have access to critical care transport at Children’s of Alabama
Rotary Trail remains a top-quality community asset, continuing to spur economic development in downtown Birmingham
It’s your generosity that makes all of this good work possible, and we thank you. We know that we have only just begun to tap the potential of all our Foundation can do. Our Club includes the finest leaders in our community, and Rotary International connects us with leaders worldwide. Together, we can make Birmingham an even better place to live and do business, and we can improve the quality of life for people in communities across the globe.
We ask that you consider two kinds of gifts for our foundation in the year ahead. (1) Current use gifts and pledges allow us to meet emerging needs and sustain our ongoing commitments to existing projects. Please consider a current use gift or pledge above and beyond your quarterly contributions. (2) Gifts and pledges toward endowed funds will allows us to support our charitable work in perpetuity. We are prioritizing building our endowed funds in the years ahead to help our foundation reach its full potential to improve lives here and around the world. Please consider a gift or pledge toward our endowed funds. Many of our members have made substantial legacy gift commitments, and we encourage you to add our foundation to your estate plans.
Thank you for your support, and for putting service above self. Your gifts make our community and our world a better place.
In Rotary Friendship,
Lee Weathers
RCB FOUNDATION 2024-2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lee Weathers, Chair
Denise Moore, Treasurer
Leslie Carlisle
Charlie Collat
Bing Edwards
Roman Gary
Alison Grizzle
Cissy Jackson
Libby Lassiter
Emmett McLean
Jenny Nunnelley
Hatton Smith
Tommy Smith
Susan Waldrop
Kennon Walthall
Clark Watson
Bruce Rogers, President, RCB
Charlie Pitts, Treasurer, RCB
Tanya Shunnara, Club VP, Community Service, RCB
Lora Blalock, Executive Director, RCB
Secretary, RCB Foundation
Our focus Areas
GREATEST NEEDS
Unrestricted funds to be allocated by the RCB Foundation board to the greatest, most urgent needs of the community, the nation, and the world. This may include the needs of any of the sectors below or other critical needs such as disaster relief or similar purposes identified by the Club or its Foundation Board of Directors. Unrestricted funds represent the top fundraising priority of the Rotary Club of Birmingham.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Strengthening Community
Health and Recreation
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
Promoting Peace
Fighting Disease
Providing Clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Serving Mothers and Children
Supporting Education
Growing Local Economies
VOCATIONAL SERVICE
Ethical Standards in Business and Professions
Fostering Service in Pursuit of Vocations
Recognizing Worthiness in All Vocations
NEW GENERATIONS SERVICE
Leadership Development in Youth and Young Adults
Community Service Projects
International Service Programs
Exchange Programs