Club Meeting- Foundation Annual Meeting 6/11/25
This week was our Annual Foundation Meeting, and the Trustee Elections took place, led by Ben Kalina.
We would like to thank Kumar Bhasin and Angalee O’Connor for their service, and appointed replacing them for the remainder of their terms will be Doug Schmor and Kelly Soter.
Four foundation members were voted in for three-year terms: Jon Gell, Tara Millan, Jared Pulver, and Roger Stokes.
Stay tuned for a post detailing this year’s scholarship recipients…
The Primary focus of the Foundation is to manage funds that benefit our Clubs’ charitable work. A large part of this is the scholarship funds.
A summary of the Medford Rogue Rotary Scholarship Sub-Funds held by the Oregon Community Foundation:
General Foundation Fund
Medford Rogue Rotary Foundation’s original scholarship fund … created in 1983 …with assets of
$2,000 … That year, 4 students were each awarded $500 to help cover their educational expenses for their first year. This is the fund that typically receives financial support generated by our various Club fundraisers.
Wallace G. Iverson Funded Scholarships
Wallace G. Iverson Scholarship Fund, Wallace G. Iverson Local Fund, Wallace G. Iverson Hillsdale Fund, Wallace G. Iverson Promise Scholarship Fund, G. Ellis Matthews Fund
All 5 of these sub-funds were created with monies donated by Wally Iverson. Wally was a longtime member of our Club and a Trustee of our Foundation.
For many years … before the MMR Foundation transferred our scholarship assets to the Oregon Community Foundation in 1999 …Wally served as the MRRF scholarship administrator … responsible for keeping track of the assets and the students who received our scholarships. While he was serving as a Foundation Trustee, he created and funded the G. Ellis Mathews Scholarship (in memory of his father-in-law who passed away in 1996) as well as his personal Iverson Scholarship. When Wally passed away in 2006, his will granted approximately $1.8 million to the MRR Foundation … which was used to create our Iverson Local, the Hillsdale and the Promise Scholarship funds.
Joe Murphy Memorial Fund
Joe Murphy was gentle and kind man and former Club member who was our Club Secretary for many years in the 80’s. Joe worked as the Development Director for Providence Hospital for many years.
Kevin Burrill Memorial Fund
Kevin Burrill was the brother of Mike Burrill, a former member of our Club. The Burrill family created this scholarship following Kevin’s passing in 2002.
Mark K. Winans Memorial Fund
Created in 2002 in memory of Mark Winans, a Club member who passed away in 2001. Mark was a partner, with Joe Petrojetti,in Joseph Winans Furniture … long a fixture in Medford’s downtown.
Patti Bills Memorial Fund
Created in 2001 in memory of Patti Bills … the first female member of our Club … Patti was welcomed into the Medford Rogue Rotary Club in 1988. For many years, Patti was the “face of the Medford Chamber of Commerce” making many appearances and “starring” in parades while wearing the Huggy Bear costume.
Performing Arts Fund
This scholarship fund was created using the monies that were taken in for this Club’s concessions work at the Britt Festivals from the late ’80s to approximately 2010.
Ron Worland Fund
This fund was created by our current Club member, Dr. Ron Worland. Ron has been involved with the Foundation since its inception in 1983. Ron was the driving force behind the original Club fundraiser, The Cadillac Ball. This fundraiser funded the General Scholarship Fund for many years.
Sid DeBoer/Lithia Motors Scholarship Fund
This fund was created by Sid DeBoer,a current Medford Rogue Rotary Club member. This fund was created in 2000. Sid has asked that priority be given to students attending Southern Oregon University.
Kumar and Roberta Bhasin Scholarship Fund
Kumar, who is a current Club member, created this fund in with his wife, Roberta. The Bhasin’s created this scholarship in 2020 with the intent of helping students overcome the financial obstacles of receiving an education.
Stokes Family Scholarship
Roger Stokes, a current Club member, created this fund in 2021 with the intent to assist students who are not recent high school graduates. Roger recognized that individuals aged 25 years and older do not have as many opportunities for scholarships as a graduating high school senior. This scholarship is available to “non-traditional” students who are attending Rogue Community College.
Linda Evans Promise Scholarship
Jerry and Linda Evans created this scholarship in 2023 with the intent to assist college-bound students who have overcome a great deal of adversity on their path to a high school diploma. Linda was an educator for many years and recognized the need to help these types of students. Jerry is a Charter member of the Medford Rogue Rotary Club and helped countless young people work their way through college by employing them at the Jacksonville Inn.