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<< back to the 2003 archive listing << Food Protection Trends COMMENTARY from the executive director Have you ever contributed to the IAFP Foundation Fund? Do you have a financial plan? Do you have a will? Have you thought about where your assets will go when you die? I realize these are all tough questions, but they are questions that, when answered with a YES, can make your life easier. It is agreed that developing a financial plan is time consuming and sometimes not the most pleasant task to undertake. Talking about death and writing a will can also be unpleasant, but in many cases if you don’t have a will, you do not control where your assets are distributed! Today I would like you to consider something that you may not have thought of before. The IAFP Foundation Fund is a part of the IAFP entity and is considered a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. This means that contributions to IAFP and the IAFP Foundation Fund qualify for a tax deduction in the United States and many other countries around the world. You can contribute cash (checks), stocks, bonds, or any other tangible asset to the Foundation to help further the mission of IAFP. Have you ever contributed to the IAFP Foundation Fund? Have you made an annual contribution? I want to continue by bringing to your attention the programs that the Foundation supports. The Foundation Fund is supported through the generosity of Members like you and though a portion of our Sustaining Member fees. By the time you finish reading this column, I hope that you will consider joining your colleagues by sending your contribution to the IAFP Foundation to help “Advance Food Safety Worldwide.” Maybe you will even want to include the Foundation in your will! Two worthwhile projects sponsored through Foundation funds are the Audiovisual Library and the Developing Scientists Competition. Both are critical in carrying out the Association mission. The Audiovisual Library of training tapes is available to all Members for use in teaching and training. The Foundation purchases tapes and then pays the cost to send tapes to IAFP Members after receiving their order. Members are expected to pay the return shipping expense and that is it! What could be easier or more beneficial? The second project sponsored by the Foundation is our Developing Scientists Competition at the Annual Meeting. The Foundation has supported cash prizes and presentation of Association Memberships to finalists and winners of the Competition. Since 1994, three awards have been presented in two categories, oral presentations and poster presentations. This competition is responsible for attracting student involvement in the Association and is very successful. Many former competitors continue to be very active in the Association and have worked their way in to leadership roles not only in the Association, but also in the food safety community. Just from these two examples, you can see the valuable work the IAFP Foundation Fund supports, but the Foundation’s work continues! Each year, the Foundation supports shipment of excess IAFP Journals to FAO in Rome for further distribution to developing countries. We receive letters from recipients of these journals telling how helpful it is to receive current, food safety information. Without the help of FAO and the Foundation, these food safety professionals would not have access to the latest scientific research presented in our Journals. Two additional areas of support are provided by the Foundation during the Annual Meeting. The Foundation allocates a portion of their budget to assist with speaker travel support. We have been able to increase our speaker sponsorship with the help of our new Sustaining Member Program. Support is also provided for the Ivan Parkin Lecture given during our Opening Session. This provides a perfect opportunity to publicize the work of the IAFP Foundation. The Foundation sponsorship allows us to attract leaders in food science to address our attendees. The announcement of this year’s Ivan Parkin Lecturer is shown on page 497. The Foundation also provides IAFP sponsorship of the Samuel J. Crumbine Award. The Crumbine Award is presented annually recognizing excellence in food protection services at public health agencies in the US and Canada. The IAFP Foundation Fund carries out projects that support the mission of IAFP. Hopefully, from these short descriptions, you can see how essential the Foundation support is for the Association, its Members and for food safety. Now that you know all the good things the IAFP Foundation supports, please consider a donation to help further the work. You may simply write a check, or if you are interested in donating an asset or including the Foundation in your will, feel free to contact me. Either way, we will put your contributions to work supporting IAFP’s mission. |