2007 Annual Summary

December 1, 2008

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We are pleased to provide this report on the first full year of operation of The Rees-Jones Foundation.
In 2007, the Foundation approved grants in excess of $29 million, of which payments were made in excess of $15 million to organizations principally in the Dallas area that are engaged in programs benefiting the people of our community, especially those whose life circumstances would otherwise deprive them of access to the services that most of us enjoy and often take for granted. This report will tell some of the stories we have heard and seen and share some of the joy that we have experienced in assisting these organizations.
We are making investments in our community. The returns we hope to see are tangible, measurable improvements in the quality of the lives of the people being served; young children will be properly prepared to enter school, older children will have access to quality education and will be able to perform at a high academic level, families will have access to safe and secure homes, children with physical or mental disabilities will receive treatment that will help them overcome those disabilities, people with mental illnesses will have access to treatment and needed therapy.
Some returns are not measurable but our mission is driven by compassion and it is served when we are able to solve immediate needs or bring relief to suffering. Often, it is enough that the urgent needs of our community are addressed even when the root causes of the problems remain unsolved.
You will notice a few themes by looking over the grants. One theme relates to community development in the West Dallas neighborhood. We have made a concerted effort to find and then support organizations operating in that community that offer educational, recreational and after school opportunities for children, child care opportunities for working families, and housing opportunities for families. This theme has continued into 2008 as we seek to enhance the overall quality of life in this part of our city.
Another theme is education. We have been privileged to participate in a wide variety of educational projects for the children of our community and we continue to look for innovative ways to stimulate a desire for learning.
Still another theme relates to the plight of the homeless and near homeless. The need for assistance at many levels in this area is acute; housing, therapy for mental illness, food for the hungry and care of the children of families who find themselves in crisis.
No doubt you will notice the larger grants we have made. For the most part, these were capital in nature and represented our response to certain important needs of our community. These larger projects come along from time to time and depend on the support of many contributors for their success. We have been pleased to take a leadership role on some of these projects and expect we will be asked to do so on others as they come up from time to time.
We have been privileged to work with some of the most energetic and selfless people in our community. While it is certainly important to be able to provide funding for the projects brought before us, there would be no projects and no improvements in our community if it were not for the thousands of people who give their time and sacrifice other opportunities to help those in need. We applaud them all and look forward to many more years in partnership with them as we continue to learn more about issues of concern and invest more in our community.
I cannot allow this opportunity pass without saying thanks to our founders. Those of us working on Foundation matters on a day-to-day basis have the honor and joy of seeing how funding provided by the Foundation can be used to bring positive changes in our community. The vision of the Foundation, however, comes from Jan and Trevor. Their hearts and generous spirits lead the way in all that we have done and the rest of us cannot thank them enough for the opportunity. We look forward to more to come and invite you all to share in the joy of giving that we have gained through this effort.
Thornton Hardie, President