Tax Reform and Charitable Giving

The holiday season marks a time to gather with friends, family, and loved ones. It also presents a time to reflect on the year that has passed and plan for the upcoming new year. Planning for the upcoming year takes on an added importance this year due to the recently passed tax reform.

Here at the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association, this holiday season reminds us how grateful we are to our Crooms family that has supported us over the last 12 years. We know that charitable giving – may it be of your time, money, or social media support – is a decision made from the heart. But, we also understand that when it comes to monetary giving, tax policy can greatly influence when you choose to make your philanthropic decisions.

As you may be aware, tax reform has been passed by Congress and signed by the President. While the new tax code remains unpublished, we expect many donors traditionally used to itemizing their charitable deductions may not be eligible in 2018 due to the higher standard deduction. Accordingly, it may be to your advantage to make contributions for 2018 and future years prior to December 31, 2017, to guarantee tax-deductibility under current tax law.

While the final tax regulations are subject to change and you should consult with your own tax advisor, we would encourage you to consider supporting the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association prior to December 31. To further plan for future years, an anonymous donor will match all donations made by the end of the year by 25% (up to $1,000). To make a donation, all you have to do is visit http://www.croomsalumni.com/donate. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us at donate@croomsalumni.com.

We hope you will consider taking advantage of this opportunity and help us make a difference in our Crooms AoIT community. As always, thank you in advance for your generosity, and Happy Holidays!

2017 Scholarship Round-Up and Year-End Financials

With another fiscal year in the rear view mirror, the Board would like to provide all you Croomies out there with an update on our financial activities of the past year. The Alumni Association is committed to transparency in how we receive and utilize financial contributions from Crooms AoIT alumni and our supporters; as such, each year we release a consolidated income and balance sheet statement for public review. Attached to this post you can find the consolidated statement for fiscal year 2016-2017. The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association's fiscal year ended on June 30, 2017 and the Association utilizes a cash accounting system; as such, only transactions posted during the fiscal year are included - encumbrances are only recorded when they are received/paid.

During the fiscal year, the Board and Management Team - with gracious support from alumni volunteers on the grant and scholarship committees - committed to providing $2,600 in financial support to the Crooms AoIT community through the following efforts:

  • $750 - Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship - Sabryna Malik, Vanderbilt University (to be reflected in 2017-2018 expenses)
  • $1,350 - Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Tech Innovation Scholarship - Liraida Heredia, Seminole State College (to be reflected in 2017-2018 expenses)
  • $250 - Athletics Grant to Crooms AoIT Boys Golf Team - new uniforms
  • $250 - Athletics Grant to Crooms AoIT Boys Basketball Team - assist with new uniforms, regulation-sized basketballs for district games, and transportation

Beyond these financial giving activities, the Association's ONLY other expenses are credit card transaction fees, banking fees, and state incorporation fees. In short, at least 96% of all monies received by the Association goes directly to supporting Crooms AoIT and your fellow Croomies. The Association remains the most tax-advantaged and financially efficient way to support Crooms AoIT and we thank you for your continued support as we begin our 12th year in supporting the Crooms AoIT Community.

If you have any questions about the Association's financials or would like to learn about how to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Community and Tech Innovation Scholarships for the Class of 2017

Dear Crooms AoIT Class of 2017

It is with pleasure that the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association, Inc. invites you to apply for our two scholarships, The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association Community Scholarship and the Tech Innovation Scholarship. As a way of congratulating you on making it this far in your educational career, we will be offering (1) $750 scholarship each for the Community Scholarship and the Tech Innovation option for graduating seniors. Our group would like to recognize those who have continually performed well academically while still carrying a passion for giving back to their community and school, and those who possesses excellent technical abilities.

The deadline for application is April 16th, 2017 by 11:59pm. The scholarship recipients will be notified before graduation. The scholarship applications are available at http://www.croomsalumni.com/page/scholarship and includes instructions on how to electronically submit the scholarship. We look forward to answering any questions you might have and carefully reviewing all applications received. Remember, these are only open to graduating Crooms AoIT Seniors, so your chances of receiving the scholarship are quite high!

Congratulations again on making this far and good luck in your future endeavors!

-The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association, Inc. Board of Directors

Boys Basketball and Golf are awarded $250 Grants

The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association is excited to announce that the Athletic's Grant committee has awarded two $250 grants to athletic programs at Crooms!

The Boys Basketball team and the Boys Golf team will both receive $250 towards equipment and events to help support their respective programs.

Athletic Grant renewed for two years

The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association is proud to announce the renewal of the Athletic Grants program through the 2017 Calendar year.

The renewal comes after Honorary Board member and 2006 Crooms Graduate, Frank Bracco, pledged $500 per calendar year to fund the grant.

Since 2012, the Alumni Association's Grants program has provided Athletic Clubs, Sports, and Departments with financial support totaling over $1000. Statewide budget cuts to education over the past several years have erased financial support for extracurriculars, which Bracco cited as a motivating factor for the gift.

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