BY MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
GLASGOW NEWS 1
The board of directors for the ambulance service to which the late Michael “Mike” T. Swift devoted more than 40 years of his life has decided to establish a foundation in his name.
Joe Middleton, current executive director of Barren-Metcalfe Emergency Medical Services, said at a recent board meeting that when Swift, the initial and longtime director of the ambulance service, died in 2017, a memorial fund that is in the possession of the ambulance service was created in his name. With a few contributions having been made here and there, the balance stood at approximately $1,100, but it has been dormant the past few years, he said.
Mike Swift
In reviewing a report from a consulting firm the service had hired awhile back, he noted a recommendation that a nonprofit foundation be established to which people could donate and that would allow the funds to be used for a variety of appropriate uses. Bylaws and operational policies would have to be established as well, and all the funds from the memorial fund or earmarked for it would be transferred to the foundation.
“The purpose of this foundation is to maintain the professional relationship with the Ambulance Service Corp., to enhance the achievement of strategic goals of both organizations, supporting the provisions of EMS across the service area and the employees who serve the communities, along with the scholarship and research of EMS,” Middleton said.
Brian Pack, corporate counsel, said the foundation would be a separate entity with its own board, potentially some of the same ones who serve on the corporation board. He said the most likely source of funds for it going forward would be Ambulance Service Corp., so in that sense it wouldn’t be completely independent.
“I think they would work in tandem with one another,” he said, “but it also would be a mechanism where, if someone – an individual – wanted to support scholarships [they could make a tax-deductible donation].”
Middleton said multiple employees have come forward with ideas of things they’d like to see done that wouldn’t be appropriate for the corporation to do, but could be something the foundation could do, if its board approved it.
In response to comments and questions, Middleton said that $30,000 was budgeted for supporting employees’ studying to become paramedics. Gilliam said educational scholarships were at least part of the original intent of the fund, and including that intention would be a fitting way to honor Swift.
The question arose as to the source of funds – estimated by Pack at $1,000 to $2,000 – to set up the foundation and the appropriate taxing classification – and board member Karisa Peterson said she believed the benefit to EMS employees would be significant enough that it would appropriate for the corporation to cover the startup costs.
The board unanimously approved the proposed resolution to establish the foundation with amendment to add the startup costs provision.
During the meeting, the board also approved the service’s budget for the coming fiscal year, including a new pay scale for nonexempt employees. These matters have been reported separately.
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