2018 Nonprofit of the Year
Murrieta Rotary Club Chosen as Nonprofit of the Year
The Club Will Be Honored by Senator Jeff Stone on California Nonprofits Day
Murrieta Rotary Club has been selected as a 2018 California Nonprofit of the Year by California Senator Jeff Stone (R 28th District).
Co-founders of the club’s iconic “Field of Honor,” Bob Bryant and Frank Donahoe, will travel to Sacramento to join with one hundred other nonprofit leaders being honored by their state senators and assemblymembers during a celebration luncheon as part of California Nonprofits Day on June 6th.
“All of us in Murrieta Rotary are very proud of this recognition,” President Vickie Ashmore said. “We all work hard to bring the Field of Honor to Murrieta and have appreciated the support of the City of Murrieta as well as our sponsors and other volunteers.”
Co-founders of the Field of Honor, Frank Donahoe and Bob Bryant
Murrieta Rotary Club is a 25-year old non-profit that serves the community with events, fundraising, scholarships, teacher grants and much more. The Field of Honor, now in its 10th year, has been recognized locally and regionally as a touching, week-long tribute to our military, first responders and other heroes. This November more than 2,000 flags will again fly on the grounds of Town Square Park in Murrieta. It is the main fundraiser of the club.
Thousands of visitors will tour the Field during the week of Veterans Day; every fifth grader in the Murrieta School District will be bussed to the Field to learn about patriotism, American Flag history, the state flags, and read the stories about Medal of Honor recipients. They will view the special “Local Heroes” section where a flag flies for each local son or daughter who gave his/her life in service of our country.
Senator Jeff Stone wanted to focus his giving of this award on the efforts of the Field of Honor because it has made such in impact in our community.
“We are really so humbled by this honor, and completely overwhelmed by being chosen by Senator Stone,” said Donahoe, who along with Bryant, simply wanted to share this opportunity to give back to our heroes in a tangible way.
“Nonprofits make California communities stronger, yet we’re often so busy that we don’t toot our own horns about the work we’re doing,” explains Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “California Nonprofits Day is an opportunity for our elected officials to recognize the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and it also demonstrates the larger collective impact of nonprofits throughout California.”
Additional Background
California Nonprofits Day, now in its third year, was formally recognized by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 191, authored by the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector, Assemblywoman Monique Limón (Santa Barbara), who will speak at the celebration luncheon. The day is organized by Assemblymember Limón and CalNonprofits.
According to “Causes Count,” a 2016 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4th largest industry in the state, employing nearly one million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate over $200 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 450,000 full-time jobs every year.