Strouds Run support group gets official nonprofit status
July 28, 2008
The Friends of Strouds Run State Park, a local group formed to support the park, is now officially nonprofit.
In a news release, David Vogt, treasurer of the group, reported that the official notification of 501 (c) (3) status has been received from the Internal Revenue Service.
“I was amazed at how easy it was to work with the state and the IRS,” Vogt said in the release. He reported that the IRS in particular was pro-active in working with him, and that its interest may have been helped by the fact that the Friends group is a public-private partnership.
David Reiser, local architect and president of the group, explained in the release that this status means that any donations to the group – both past and future – are now tax-deductible. He expressed hope that this will encourage citizens to support the group financially.
“This will also allow us to apply for grants, including one we need now for trail signage,” Philip Cantino, professor at Ohio University and group vice-president, said in the release. The trail signage project is intended to clarify trail names and usage, particularly where bicycle trails intersect with horse trails in the park.
The Friends group parallels many other such groups across the state. Both Lake Hope and Burr Oak State Parks near Athens also have friends groups.
This particular group was an outgrowth of the Strouds Run Task Force formed by former Mayor Richard Abel to investigate the acquisition of the park by the city of Athens, a measure that was eventually rejected by Athens City Council.
The Strouds Run group has already co-sponsored several events at the park, including the annual Poker Ride-Hike-Paddle-Bike event, a unique version of a poker run where all the activities are muscle-powered rather than motorized.
Other sponsors of these events have included the Athens County Chapter of the Ohio Horsemen’s Council, Athens Trails, the Athens Bicycle Club and the Athens Conservancy. Prizes have been provided by a number of local merchants and citizens including overnight stays in Lake Hill Cabins overlooking the park.
The release said the Friends group hopes to assist the state in creating a comprehensive management plan for the park.
More information can be found at the group’s Web site: www.friendsofstroudsrun.org.
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