Tsunami Relief Fund

Several people have asked how the Tsunami Relief Fund in Honor of Ben Abels works. For reasons of simplicity, we chose to open a fund with The Rotary Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that supports international humanitarian efforts. We chose The Rotary Foundation because it is headquartered in Evanston, Ben’s hometown. The fund is called a "Donor Advised Fund" (hence the "DAF" on the checks). All money flows through The Rotary Foundation (hence the "TRF" on the checks) and charitable contributions are tax-deductible, subject to legal restrictions based on individual tax situations.

The Rotary Foundation is responsible for record keeping and reporting requirements. Rotary has agreed to help us research the prospective charities to which we may contribute. As donors, we have free access to the results of this research and will use it to determine where the money in Ben’s Tsunami Relief Fund will be directed. Our only restriction is that Fund money can only be distributed to organizations recognized by the U.S. government as charities. Thus, true to the name of the Fund, all donations will go toward tsunami relief and we will direct the funds to specific charitable tsunami relief efforts we think Ben would have wanted.

Thank you for asking about the Fund, for making contributions to the Fund, and for wanting to honor Ben.