Seeking donors

Rick Hoover - NewsPress

May 12, 2008 12:26 pm

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Stillwater High School athletes could soon be the beneficiaries of boosters from across the country.
The Stillwater High Student Activity Fund Endowment is in operation but is still waiting for formal approval of its 501(c)3 non-profit status. Such status will make donations to the organization tax-deductible.
“The main thing that we want to try to do here is to increase our fundraising and provide a tax benefit to those donating,” said Mike Simpson, district athletics director.
In the certificate of incorporation filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office, S.A.F.E. listed five officers: Barry Patton, president; Trace Morgan, secretary/treasurer; Roger McMillian, director; Rick Walstad, director; and Larry Hays, director. Simpson and the booster club president are listed as advisers.
Patton said the foundation will operate in a similar manner to many other foundations.
“The main purpose is to raise money for Stillwater athletics (and) the outside activities that the kids participate in,” Patton said. “We’re going to have an endowment fund and try to basically endow athletics.”
Patton cited his experience attempting to make a donation to the high school as reason for forming the foundation.
“You’d be surprised how difficult it is to give anything of any substance to the high school,” Patton said. “Hopefully, this will make the transition easier for people to do that.”
Simpson said one thing he and Patton addressed early in their discussions about S.A.F.E. was a desire to avoid conflicting with the efforts of the Stillwater Public Education Foundation, which accepts donations to fund academic programs and projects at all schools in the district. Actually, Simpson said, S.A.F.E. will be seeking funding from potential boosters outside Stillwater.
“(We’re) looking beyond the same people who get asked again and again and again,” Simpson said. “Obviously, we’re not going to ignore those people because they’ve been great to us, they’re our bread and butter to keep things afloat.
“But we’re trying to look in new directions.”
While non-profit status has not been approved yet, Patton said once it is, such status will be retroactive to the filing date of March 19. S.A.F.E. is not now actively soliciting donations, he added, but focusing on organization and planning. He believes non-profit status and other items should come together within 60 days.
“That’s a lofty and admirable goal Barry has,” Simpson said, “but it’s something that we think down the road could distinguish us from other schools.”