Elaine Kraemer, CWPV Foundation President
In the case of the Cottonwood Palo Verde Foundation, it is simply an homage to the forward-thinking directors who instigated the charitable organization to enhance the lives of all Sun Lakes residents! As the Sun Lakes communities (Sun Lakes Country Club, Cottonwood, Palo Verde, Oakwood and Ironwood) matured and their infrastructures were built out, the residents’ attention turned toward improving their quality of life. Promoting health, cultural enjoyment and education for the mature populace of Sun Lakes became the purpose for the CWPV Foundation.
Historically, the legal agreement creating the CWPV Foundation was signed in December of 2013. The first official meeting of the original CWPV Foundation Board Members took place in April of 2014. The CWPV Foundation achieved the important IRS non-profit charitable 501(c)(3) designation in September of 2015. The CWPV Foundation is now an independent local charity in Sun Lakes!
The Foundation’s Board of Directors are Elaine Kraemer (President), Richard Hawkes (Vice President and Acting Secretary), Kelly Murray (Treasurer), Robert (Bob) Rouleau and Bud Jenssen. The current Directors live in Palo Verde, Oakwood and Cottonwood and are actively seeking to add a new director to the board who resides in Sun Lakes Country Club.
In keeping with its Mission Statement, the CWPV Foundation has awarded numerous grants to organizations in Sun Lakes. Some of the CWPV Foundation’s grant recipients are Neighbors Who Care, Sun Lakes Creative Engagement Partners (Making Music for Parkinson and Alzheimer patients and Memory Café programs), The Perfect Place Adult Day Services (Friday Focus Forum), the Chordaires Show Chorus of Sun Lakes and the Cottonwood Tennis Club.
The flipside of making grants benefiting Sun Lakes residents is fundraising! The CWPV Foundation holds 50/50 cash raffles at the TAD shows in the San Tan Ballroom at Cottonwood. A festive Eat, Drink and Be Merry dinner was held in the San Tan Ballroom in December. Gorgeous and valuable baskets featuring wine or golf items were raffled at the dinner. All the funds raised from the raffle ticket sales were donated to the CWPV Foundation! Another community-wide fundraiser is the Fun Walk which is held early in November. The net proceeds from Fun Walk registration fees also benefit the CWPV Foundation’s coffers.
The CWPV Foundation is very pleased to announce that as 2017 drew to a close, a very generous benefactor donated $10,000 from their IRA to the Foundation! What a wonderful way to help numerous worthy projects in Sun Lakes!
Thank you to all our fundraising participants and generous donors! We sincerely appreciate your support and look forward to finding new ways to help improve the lives of Sun Lakers in 2018! Happy New Year to you all!
If you’d like more information about the CWPV Foundation, take a look at its very user-friendly website, http://www.cottonwoodpaloverdefoundation.org, where the Foundation’s Mission Statement is prominently displayed on the Home Page along with monthly news and events. Grant applications and donation forms are downloadable from the Menu.