\ In the summer of 2007, John Neill and other friends of the Vickery Meadow community provided soccer and basketball programs for the neighborhood children. In the process, they experienced first hand the joy of these children, while realizing their many needs. Their experiences that summer ignited a passion to develop a strong, organized, and evaluated effort to provide a continuum of educational and enrichment programs to carry children from birth through high school and into higher education.
\ \Funds to develop programs for youth in Vickery Meadow were accumulated through the 1st Annual Great Investors\’ Best Ideas Foundation\’s (“GIBI”) investment symposium in October of 2007. John Neill and Shad Rowe created this annual seminar which brings together the best minds of the financial world to share information with the attendees. Renowned speakers donate their time, money, and insights to help raise funds for the Vickery Meadow youth and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for research on Parkinson\’s disease.
\ \Due to the success of the investment seminar, the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation was founded. All funds donated to the Foundation are used for youth programming in Vickery Meadow and board members provide the funds for administrative costs.
'; arrfoundationmenuContent[1] = '\ Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation funding is limited to programs that impact the children and youth of the Vickery Meadow neighborhood. The Foundation focuses on five categories:
\ \academic enhancement
\after-school programs
\sports
\summer programs and camps
\early childhood education
\scholarships for higher education
\ \Potential recipients are invited to provide a proposal at the Foundation’s monthly board meeting, where decisions are made on funding. The Foundation staff meets with community agencies to discuss program ideas for the community and for funding.
'; arrfoundationmenuContent[2] = '\ John Neill, President
\Mr. Neill is co-founder and owner of the Telesis Company which provides the Dallas metroplex with senior housing care (including retirement apartments, assisted living facilities, nursing care, and Alzheimer care units). John received his undergraduate degree from Yale, his MBA from Harvard, and is also a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. Mr. Neill was instrumental in starting the Vickery Meadow Improvement District in 1993 and many of the safety and service components of the community.
\Harry Smith, President Elect
\Mr. Smith is an executive officer of Dallas-based Pegasus Bank. He received a BBA in Finance from The University of Oklahoma. Mr. Smith is a long time volunteer in the Vickery Meadow community and a member of the Vickery Meadow Improvement District Board of Trustees.
\Ellen Wood, Treasurer
\Ellen Wood spent eleven years investing for hedge funds in Dallas, most recently as portfolio manager and partner at Carlson Capital. She currently balances her time between investing and philanthropic interests which are primarily focused on women, at risk youth, and education. She serves on various foundation boards and grant committees in these areas. Ellen received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
\Paige Brauer, Secretary
\Paige Brauer is a community volunteer. Ms Brauer has been involved with the Vickery Meadow community since the basketball and soccer programs began in the summer of 2007. Working with Mr. Neill, Ms Brauer has been instrumental in the creation of the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation and the Great Investors’ Best Ideas Foundation’s investment symposium.
\Susan Hicks
\Susan Hicks is managing director of the Private Bank at J.P. Morgan. She serves the Dallas and Northern Louisiana markets. She focuses on creating and delivering tailored solutions for complex issues faced by her clients, including wealth transfer, investing, tax planning, charitable giving, leverage, and insurance. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Susan received her BBA in accounting and is certified by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. She has served on the host committee of the Great Investor’s Best Ideas Financial Symposium.
\Jonathan Hustis
\Jonathan K. Hustis has served as a business executive and legal counsel to technology businesses throughout most of his career. He currently practices corporate, business and technology-related law with Phillips & Reiter PLLC in Dallas. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and a B.A. in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.
\Sally Spurgin
\Sally Spurgin is an adjunct lecturer at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and a community volunteer who has served on several nonprofit boards. She presents writing seminars to appellate courts nationwide. She received her B.A. from SMU summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in English and Spanish; and her M.A. in English literature, also from SMU. She is the author/editor of two college textbooks published by Prentice Hall.
'; arrfoundationmenuContent[3] = '\ Martha Stowe, Executive Director
\Ms Stowe has been a leader in the social service community of Dallas for 30 years. As a licensed social worker, she brings the knowledge of community development, program development, assessment, and evaluation.
\Ms Stowe has a rich history of funds acquisition and distribution as the director of the Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas, the director of Community Outreach for Presbyterian Healthcare System, and the director of Outreach for Lovers Lane United Methodist Church.
'; arrfoundationmenuContent[4] = '\ 990 Form
\ ';