de Ralph KD1SM, June 2020
In 1994, Sergei UA3AGS made a $100 donation to NVARC and asked that it be directed to educating young folk to become Amateur Radio licensees. Sergey had been visiting an NVARC member for several months and frequently joined the NVARC Saturday morning breakfasts. [1]
The Board accepted Sergey's donation and established an Education Fund. That year the Squannacook River Runners, sponsors of the Groton Road Race, also made a donation to NVARC and the Board added that to the Education Fund.
The first disbursement from the Education Fund was made in June 1994 to purchase an ARRL Library Book set for the Pepperell Library.
Each year the donation from the Squannacook River Runners has been added to the Education Fund. Occasional donations from support of other Public Service events have also been added to the Fund. [2]
The first SK estate donation came in 1999, from an estate auction. The auction itself was organized by Den Connors on behalf of the Community Church of Pepperell and a portion of the proceeds was donated to NVARC. [3]
In 1998 the Education Fund was retitled to the Community Service Fund; the Board had found little interest from other public libraries in ARRL Library Book sets and the membership felt it was appropriate to broaden the scope of the Fund "to use it for other community service activities beyond educational ones". [4]
The next large disbursement from the Community Fund was made in September 2000 to the Town of Pepperell to purchase new chairs for the Community Center. [5]
In 2004 and 2005 the Community Fund purchased a quantity of Now You're Talking books to be offered to young aspiring future Hams. Larry Sweezey W1ESR (then KB1ESR) managed that activity.
Also in 2005 the Community Fund was used to fund NVARC's ARISS support for the Townsend Hawthorne Brook Middle School ISS contact. [6]
A second donation to the Pepperell Conservation Fund in appreciation for many years of use of the Heald Street Orchard was made in 2006. [7]
The fund has continued to grow from annual contributions, principally from the Squannacook River Runners and some SK estate sales.
The Club made a donation from the Fund to the National Marrow Donor Program in honor of long-time member and contributor Den KD2S in 2009 [8] and to the Friends of the Cape Cod Highland Light in 2011 when Bruce K1BG organized a Special Event Station at the Highland Light [9].
In 2013 at the request of President Skip K1NKR, the Board adopted a formal policy for assigning donations and making disbursements from the Community Fund [10].
[1] Signal Vol 3 No 6; June 1994
[2] Signal Vol 10 No 10; October 2001
[3] Signal Vol 8 No 2; February 1999
[4] Signal Vol 7 No 4; April 1998
[5] Signal Vol 9 No 8; October 2000
[6] Signal Vol 14 No 12; December 2005
[7] Signal Vol 15 No 10; October 2006
[8] Signal Vol 18 No 10; October 2009
[9] Signal Vol 20 No 10; October 2011
[10] Board email, 4 April 2013