FKEC Members Charitable Trust

Making Your Pennies Count

The FKEC Members Charitable Trust works diligently to allocate all donations collected through FKEC’s Operation Round-Up® program. The hard-working volunteer board often faces difficult decisions as requests for assistance can sometimes exceed available funds by 400%.

The community-minded program was established in 1994 to accumulate and disburse funds for worthy purposes in FKEC’s service area — the Upper and Middle Keys. The Trust was not envisioned to replace or supplement existing services or organizations, but was developed to help fund those persons and needs of the community which have “fallen through the cracks” of other organizations, or for those persons or groups who have no funding.

The Trust board consists of nine seats to be filled by representatives from FKEC’s four districts. The nine dedicated volunteers are responsible for reviewing all the requests submitted from their district, and then meet monthly to determine how best to distribute the Trust’s funds.

Heartfelt thanks to the Trustees who make this program possible:

Richard Overfield, Chairperson
Sharon Wampler, Vice Chairperson
Tony Macaluso, Secretary
Marlin Simon, Treasurer
Laura Brown
Nancy Wall
Mary Russell
Juneisy Guerra
Michelle Franck

Letter From a Member

“I would like to say a big thank you all for the help and support that you have given me. It has and will make a difference for me in my time of need. This is a great program for people in the Keys. I will not forget what you all have done for me. I will try to pass on the same warmth and understanding to all I meet in life!”

This thank you letter is from an FKEC member and disabled veteran who requested housing assistance while he recovered from a complicated leg injury. While he was receiving a VA pension and had filed for other assistance, further help was needed to pay his rent. The Trust voted on his case and provided a check to his landlord to cover a few month’s rent.