Document xzxMp294BNQ6d0jZ1ENk3GEE0

Jackie Joyner-Kersee YOUTH CENTER FOUNDATION March 21,1997 Mr. John L. Mason Chairman and President Monsanto Fund 800 N. Lindbergh St. Louis, Missouri 63167 Dear Mr. Mason: In 1996 your organization pledged a total of $1,000,000 to the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation. This amount was to be funded over a period of four years beginning 1996, in annual payments of $250,000. The request for the funding of pledges was delayed until the completion of the merger of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Community Foundation into the East St. Louis Youth Center Foundation to create the successor, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation. This merger became effective March 4,1997, therefore we are requesting that your 1996 and 1997 pledges totaling $500,000 be sent to the address below: Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation P.O. Box 6349 East St. Louis, Illinois 62201 If you prefer, we are available to come to your office at your convenience, to pick up your organization's pledge. Enclosed is a copy of our progress report detailing our accomplishments over tire past year. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation, we would like to express our deepest appreciation to your organization for its generous donation. Again, thank you for "Sharing the Vision". Sincere! Jackie Joyner-Kersee, CEO Dr. Earl Lazerson, Treasurer DSW 137056 STLCOPCB4037014 Jackie Joyner-Kersee YOUTH CENTER FOUNDATION March 1,1997 PROGRESS AND PLANNING REPORT The purpose of this report is to provide the many supporters of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee (JJK) Youth Center Foundation with a summary of progress made during 1996, its first full year of organizing efforts, plus share the Foundation's revised plans for the coming year. Progress in '96 Most major challenges associated with our planned site at 25th Street and Interstate 64 were achieved in '96. The Illinois legislature in late May passed the enabling legislation to allow the East St. Louis Park District to sell the 37-acre parcel to our Foundation for the sole purpose of building and operating a facility for the benefit of area youth; if these operations cease at some point in the future, the land reverts to Park District control. During time, we negotiated with the Park District and a purchase contract was signed in early July, providing for the take-down of specific parcels as development takes place. Purchase price is $1,000 per acre, and $7,000 earnest money was paid to the Park District upon contract execution. The Metro Link's plan to locate a light rail station at 25th Street adjacent to our site, with attendant feeder bus routes, reinforces the desirable, central location and its accessibility to area youth. A partial clearing of trees and brush at the Southeast comer of the site improved its visibility from Interstate 64. Leadership gifts were announced at a press conference held in East St. Louis on July 23, 1996. Monsanto Fund and Anheuser-Busch Foundation have each pledged $1,000,000 to be paid over four years to initiate the construction/endowment fund. Subsequent gifts from others brought total pledges of $2,742,500 to this fund. The Foundation has also met with NIKE Corporation (Jackie's major national sponsor), and believes a major leadership grant will be forthcoming. Significant pledges toward the annual operating budget were also announced at the press conference. Casino Queen Partners have pledged to contribute $100,000 annually for the Youth Center's first 10 years of operation, subject to review for compliance with expressed objectives at the end of the fifth year. The Greater East St. Louis Community Fund has committed $200,000 annually for the first three years of operation, and United Way of Greater St. Louis provided a special start-up grant for $100,000 per year for three years. Based on the programming offered and number of clients served, we expect United Way support to increase as the Greater East St. Louis Fund phases out. The combined pledges from these operations total $400,000 annually, or about half of our planned budget. A $4 million endowment (discussed later) will generate income to meet most of the remaining requirement. --1 -- DSW 137057 STLCOPCB4037015 JJKYC Progress and Planning Report March 1,1997 We have finally met all of the unexpectedly complex steps necessary to merge Jackie JoynerKersee's Community Foundation into the East St. Louis Youth Center Foundation to create the successor: our Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center Foundation. The governance structure that was originally proposed -- a Board of Directors of up to 35 persons and a parallel 11-person group of Trustees proved to be unweilding in practice. Therefore, the Board reconstituted the Foundation's by-laws to eliminate the separate Trustee role, and the active Board of Directors has been reduced to 19 members to provide better continuity and communications. With half of the Board representing donor companies, we believe the issue of stewardship and fiscal responsibility are properly addressed. The list of officers and directors is attached as Exhibit A. The completion of Jackie's Olympic competition meant that her family could finally relocate back to the St. Louis area. As a result, the Board elected Jackie to become the Foundation's CEO and her husband, Bobby Kersee, its President. It will be their dedication, commitment and energy that will lead the Foundation to the next levels of success in '97 and beyond. Jackie's personal plans now call for her role to be active and involved, but from an oversight position consistent with her CEO title. She will bb prominent in providing leadership, high standards and values, and devote major effort in community relations and fundraising. However, her service will be as a community volunteer, not a salaried employee, which is also the case for all the Directors of the Foundation. Finally, at year-end the Foundation established an office in the Union Electric building at 500 East Broadway, in East St. Louis, in space donated by Union Electric. This gives a needed East St. Louis identity and focal point to our fundraising efforts. Angela Roberson, who administered the East St. Louis Youth Project for the last few years, has become our first employee, serving as office manager and fundraising coordinator. Master Plan Status Several of our committees met extensively in '96 to study the many possibilities for programming to be offered at the proposed Youth Center. The implications of such programming on the size of the facility to be constructed and the consequent annual cost of operations were considered. The challenge is to narrow the possibilities to those choices that will have the highest positive impact on area youth and be affordable to the Foundation on a sustaining basis. Our representatives held a series of meetings with current service providers in East St. Louis and youth themselves to determine what facilities are most desired by the community. We see the JJK Youth Center's role as being an asset to reinforce efforts already being made within the community to serve youth and enhance their programs; it is not our intent to provide exclusionary programming or to duplicate the services of existing groups. Secondly, excellent resource material has been supplied by Sverdrup Facilities, who guided us through the feasibility study and Master Plan for the entire 37 acre site. A "wish list" for full development would eventually entail $15 million of construction cost. DSW 137058 i__ STLCOPCB4037016 JJKYC Progress and Planning Report March 1,1997 However, the Board is committed to a philosophy of developing the center in phases with Phase I to be completed by the end of 1998, if not earlier. With successful programs in place, the Board believes ongoing fundraising can be even more successful. Therefore, the Board has adopted a Phase I construction budget of $6 million, plus $4 million for the Endowment, which should generate $300,000 toward annual operating costs. Phase I components are expected to include a court for basketball, volleyball and other indoor recreational activities; education and tutorial facilities; library; computer laboratory; baseball fields; locker rooms; wellness/daycare center; administrative offices; and perhaps, an indoor swimming pool. We believe a facility of this size and complexity can be staffed adequately and operated safely and efficiently within an $800,000 annual operating budget. The Board would very much like to begin offering programming in the East St. Louis area this summer under the auspices of the JJK Youth Center Foundation. We plan to approach various agencies and foundations with specific grant requests to fund these activities. A $500,000 aggregate funding goal has been set for the two years 1997-1998, prior to the anticipated opening in 1999. A pledge of $57,625 was recently received from the Ronald McDonald House Charities to support the Foundation's Gold Metal Scholarship program. Activities Planned for 1997 The obvious first priority is to implement a broad-based fundraising effort to achieve the Boardapproved $10 million goal: $6 million for Construction and $4 million for the permanent Endowment. From our experience in 1996, we believe that most large donors will choose to spread their donations over a 3 to 5 year period, so the task is to procure pledges totaling $10 million, and then begin construction at the point when $6 million of funding is assured. The timetable for existing pledges is shown in Exhibit B, and assumes construction in '98 followed by the JJK Youth Center's opening in '98. Our present Fundraising Plan identifies sources of pledges in the following categories and amounts: ($ in Millions) Leadership Gift? Received Target St. Louis Area Companies $2,742.5 $3,000.0 National Sponsors -0- 2,000.0 Broadened Solicitation St. Louis Area Companies Individuals and Foundations -0- 3,000.0 -0- 2,000.0 $10,000.0 The St. Louis Leadership pledges resulted in the formation of an involved Board which has been executing the myriad of tasks necessary to make Jackie's vision a reality. In addition, these pledges provided an adequate level of local support to approach national sponsors such as Nike and Coca-Cola for pledges. DSW 137059 STLCOPCB4037017 JJKYC Progress and Planning Report March 1,1997 We are organizing a St. Louis area campaign to begin in April, whereby 12 of our Directors and Advisory Council members will make personal solicitations of up to 200 St. Louis area companies. We hope to kick-off this campaign with media coverage enhancing awareness of the JJK Youth Center project. Then in early May, a second press conference may be held to announce other major gifts, and perhaps the endorsement of JJK Youth Center by the 2004 Committee as a first visible realization of the St. Louis community's resolve to create tangible and lasting improvement by that milestone year. The final segment, a $2 million target to be raised from individuals and foundations, is still evolving in our planning. Ideally, we will be able to harness support of national media, both TV and print on a pro bono basis. However, we are also exploring the possibilities of direct mail solicitations, and also performances by athletic or entertainment celebrities with the Foundation as the designated beneficiary. In addition to fundraising, the Board will be focused on other activities. Our contract with the Park District requires that the ballfields at the 25th Street site continue to be used by the high school teams. We hope to make some improvements to the condition of both the fields and spectator areas to become a symbol of progress in the community under the JJK Youth Center's direction. Concurrent with this work, cosmetic improvement by way of debris removal should be performed, and perhaps a billboard erected that would identify our site to travelers on Interstate 65. Finally, the Board will move toward its final choices on programming and facility design so that the successful fundraising can quickly lead to implementation of the Master Plan's Phase I. During the second half of '97 architects would be selected, and working drawings prepared so that construction can begin in early '98. DSW 137060 STLCOPCB4037018