Preamble to the Petition
The Board of Directors of the Louis August Jonas Foundation recently announced their intention to sell two properties in Dutchess County, New York, where Camp Rising Sun has been run for 85 years, and move the operation to another state such as Pennsylvania. We are a charter group of Rising Sun supporters from a wide range of seasons and nationalities that object to this action and urge the Board to reconsider. Our intention is to garner additional signatures via the Internet joining this petition to have the Board reconsider its planned actions and to communicate that alumni were not given ample warning or opportunity to influence this decision. A growing number of alumni believe the Board has miscalculated the unintended consequences of alienating the alumni body.
PETITION
This is a petition to show the LAJF Board of Directors that many in the Rising Sun community have serious reservations about the announced plan to sell off the properties in Dutchess County. A large number of Rising Sun supporters around the world have expressed their concern that the decision to sell the properties has been taken in undue haste, that the expected price in today’s market is too low, and that other avenues exist to solve the financial challenges that LAJF faces in the wake of the 2008 crisis and escalating costs (e.g., fund raising, cost reduction). We applaud the cost reduction efforts already initiated. We want to do more. In an effort to grow the impact of the organization, the Board has in recent years authorized an unsustainably large percentage of spending from the Endowment. Much of this has gone to support an ever-larger percentage of overhead, which now stands at nearly 50% of annual expenditures. We believe such practice, however well-intended, lacks the fiduciary prudence needed by a charity that seeks our support. We do not believe that moving will solve the spending problem; and we believe that the Board should focus on preservation of the Mission and organizational survival at this time. We, the undersigned, URGE the Board to reconsider these issues and refrain from putting the Dutchess County assets on the market. We request a full re-evaluation with alumni participation in which all levers are on the table including cost reduction. Until such time as the BOD announces a freeze in the asset sale process, we hereby assert our intention to withhold any and all donations of time, money, or planned estate gifts to LAJF. To be clear, Committee members will not attend meetings; selectors will not select; and donations will cease.
The Charter Group
