HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.2 Acceptance of Donation from the McCreary Family Foundation and Recognition of Paul McCrearySTAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
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Agenda Item 3.2
DATE:July 20, 2021
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:Linda Smith, City Manager
SUBJECT:Acceptance of Donation from the McCreary Family Foundation and
Recognition of Paul McCreary
Prepared by: Colleen Tribby, Assistant City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council will accept a donation in the amount of $50,000 from the McCreary Family
Foundation to be used as an endowment fund to assist Dublin youth with financial challenges in
joining the Dublin Green Gators Swim Team. The City Council will also consider providing direction
to Staff to formally recognize Paul McCreary for his service to the community.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Formally accept the donation of $50,000, recognize the McCreary Family Foundation for their
generosity, and provide direction to Staff on further recognition of Paul McCreary for his service to
the community.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Upon acceptance of the donation, the $50,000 will be placed in an endowment fund and will be
pooled with all other City funds for investment purposes. Any interest earned on the funds will be
budgeted for scholarship opportunities for eligible Dublin youth wanting to join the Dublin Green
Gators Swim Team.
DESCRIPTION:
The McCreary Family Foundation was formed in June 2021 by Paul McCreary, Dublin’s former
Parks and Community Services Director, and his family, in order to preserve the philanthropic
example Paul’s parents demonstrated throughout their lives. The creation of this foundation
reflects the McCreary family’s ongoing commitment to public service and comes on the heels of
Paul’s 30-year career in the field. The majority of those years was spent serving the City of Dublin
in the Parks and Community Services Department; during that time, in addition to helping
implement and operate many of the recreational opportunities still enjoyed in Dublin, Paul was
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instrumental in the programming and oversight of the Dublin Swim Center and the planning and
design of The Wave at Emerald Glen Park.
The City recently received notice from the McCreary Family Foundation of their intention to
donate $50,000 as an endowment fund to provide access to the City’s Green Gator Swim Team to
Dublin youth from families with financial challenges. This gift is being given in memory of Gabriel
Gamez, a young Green Gator swimmer and active community member who passed away at a
young age, and whose integrity and kindness are remembered by many.
Upon acceptance of the endowment funds, Staff will work with the McCreary Family Foundation to
ensure that the intent of the donation, which is to sponsor eligible youth on an annual basis, is
maintained.
Staff also seeks the City Council’s direction as to other formal ways of recognizing Paul McCreary’s
outstanding contributions and long service to the City of Dublin.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
None.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Council Agenda was posted.
ATTACHMENTS:
1) McCreary Family Foundation donation letter
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“Helping people and communities thrive”
764 Vallombrosa Avenue Suzanne M. McCreary, President
Chico, California 95926 Joy E. McCreary, Vice President
www.mccrearyfamily.org Matthew T. McCreary, Secretary
925-719-0773 Paul M. McCreary, Treasurer
June 11, 2021
Ms. Linda Smith, City Manager
City of Dublin
100 Civic Plaza
Dublin, CA 94568
SUBJECT: Proposed Charitable Donation for Green Gator Swim Team Scholarship Fund
Dear Linda:
Our family is pleased to announce we’ve formed the McCreary Family Foundation to preserve the philanthropic
example my parents, Thomas and Frances McCreary, demonstrated throughout their lives. The family is forming
the Foundation via a Donor Advised Fund with Morgan Stanley.
Our Foundation is pledging $50,000 to the City of Dublin to spur access the Green Gator Swim Team for children
from families with financial challenges in Dublin. We are doing this in memory of Gabriel Gamez, who was a
Green Gator swimmer and Junior Lifeguard at the Dublin Swim Center when I started as Pool Manager in 1990.
Unfortunately, Gabriel’s amazing life and light was cut short when in September 1992 he unexpectedly passed
away as an adolescent. Following his passing the Swim Team Parent Committee created the Dublin Green Gator
Award which has been given annually since 1993 to one overall Dublin Green Gator swimmer who has proven to
be a role model, has characteristics of a good leader, and demonstrates the ability to be a productive member of
a team. This swimmer is noble and a dedicated athlete and the award is given in the spirit of Gabriel.
While the current team members did not have the pleasure of meeting or knowing Gabriel, he swam for the
Gators for several seasons. Seeing him interact with his teammates and his display of team spirit and leadership
skills were almost unbelievable for a 13-year-old. Gabriel was always involved in social activities, sports and
volunteer work also serving as a Junior Lifeguard at the Dublin Swim Center. With his outgoing spirit, you would
have thought that he was one of the top athletes on the team. However, he was not; Gabriel was in it to have fun
and make friends and help out wherever he could. Gabriel would swim endlessly during the summer. He and his
sister Angela were always the first kids in the pool and always the last to leave. When it came to helping others,
Gabriel would do anything and everything in his power to help. He would constantly cheer for his teammates at
meets; help the coaches, parents or even the younger swimmers on the team.
Attachment 1
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Summertime means sunshine, the great outdoors and, for many families, swim team. Summer swim team runs
for two to three months and includes practices, stroke work, swim meets and local league championships. For
many kids, a summer swim league is the beginning of a competitive swimming career. Unfortunately, there are
too many people in the Bay Area that do not know how to swim due to lack of financial resources. The benefits of
swim team go far beyond summer fun. Swimming shares many of the positive attributes of land-based exercise,
as well as several other physical, mental and emotional benefits for youth including:
Cardiovascular conditioning. On average swimmers stay in the water longer exercising than other sports
improving endurance.
Building full body strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance.
Regulating Emotions. Swimming can help youth feel calm, confident and less stressed.
Goal Setting. Swim Team is where individual goal setting meets team sport, and even helps with math
skills converting meters to yards, yards to miles and miles into pool lengths.
Teaching Resilience.
Developing Lifelong Exercise Routines. Swimming has unique health benefits because it is a low impact
sport the people can enjoy for life, even when they have to abandon other sports with higher injury rates.
Therefore, the McCreary Family is pledging this $50,000 donation to the City of Dublin solely for the purpose of
establishing an endowment as part of the Dublin Cares Program to provide scholarships to Dublin residents to
pay for registration fees, bathing suits, goggles, and other equipment necessary to fully participate on the Junior
Green Gator and Green Gator swim teams sponsored by the City. It is hoped that if the donation is
conservatively invested similar to other City funds, the endowment would provide approximately $500 annually
for a scholarship. If no scholarship requests are made in a certain year, it is our wish to roll over that amount
and provide multiple scholarships the following year, all while trying to maintain the balance of the endowment
in perpetuity.
In acknowledgement of the donation following would be the proposed responsibilities of the two parties:
MCCREARY FAMILY FOUNDATION
Make a pledge to donate $50,000 over two equal payments; the first upon approval of the City Council
and the second on April 1, 2022.
Lead the effort to leverage the donation with the Green Gator Parent Committee and other Foundations.
Lead the effort to establish the Gabrial Gamez Swim Team Scholarship Program’s Vision, Mission and
Values and the guidelines for awarding scholarships (with assistance from City of Dublin Staff and in line
with existing Dublin Cares Program standards and guidelines).
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CITY OF DUBLIN
Authorize Staff to work with the McCreary Family Foundation on the start-up and roll-out phases.
Develop and execute a Donor Agreement to formalize the terms summarized in this letter to include
specifics for using the funds; vision for endowment versus one-time dollars for immediate initiatives and
grants; investment policy for preservation of principal with conservative risk tolerance levels.
Actively promote the scholarship opportunities in the community and inform the McCreary Family
Foundation when a scholarship is awarded.
Evaluate the program annually and update the program guidelines and applications as needed.
Provide annual financial statements related to the grant fund balance, revenue and expenditures.
Serve as a central point for communications with donors, applicants and others to call with questions,
and mail or email related documents and information.
Provide limited general administrative support.
If favorable to the City Council I look forward to working on formalizing a donor agreement and roll-out plan
with Staff.
Sincerely,
Paul McCreary
cc: Melissa Hernandez, Mayor City of Dublin
Colleen Tribby, Assistant City Manager
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