Summer 2010
Dear Friends of the Andrew and Abby Szott Foundation,
This letter is to inform you that after much soul searching and many conversations with friends, family members, and our Board of Directors, David and I have decided to make some significant changes in the direction of the Andrew and Abby Szott Foundation.
After three successful years of fundraising and awarding nine families a total of more than $140,000, we have made the decision to modify our goals and efforts to a more manageable level. These changes will result in a smaller Board of Directors, fewer fundraising events, and more limited gifts to families. This also means that we will not be holding the much loved Tournament for Time this year.
We hope it is clear that we are not discontinuing the Foundation, but becoming more realistic in what we can accomplish with volunteers, the lack of paid staff, and both David and I having full time jobs. The present reality is that the myriad tasks of managing and growing a Foundation have become extremely demanding, and David and I are feeling the results of too many responsibilities and obligations and not enough time and energy to accomplish what we want to achieve. We have learned the hard way that the competing priorities for us to effectively balance our careers, our personal lives, and the demands of the foundation have become too difficult.
Despite these changes, we will most certainly continue to solicit and accept contributions as well as manage allocating funds to recipients, maintain our 501(c)(3) status, and retain a Board of Directors. Our goals are to maintain this status until David and I reach our retirement years. At that time we will discuss the options of ramping up the Foundation efforts and develop new goals that will be consistent with our resources of energy and time.
Our hope is that you continue to support our efforts for providing the Gift of Time to families in need.
This decision has not come easily, but we hope you understand that our attempt to continue at the same pace we’ve created the past three years is not sustainable. Finally, given that you have been an invaluable input to the Foundation’s success, if you have feedback that you would like to share, we welcome you to reach to us at kathryn.szott@szottfoundation.org. Most importantly, we very much appreciate your ongoing assistance and collaboration.
Blessings,
David and Kathryn Szott
Founders of the Andrew and Abby Szott Foundation