At first they were raising and giving back a few thousand dollars a year. They also sponsored students to work as interns at an LA office, a LC office and with a supplier to get a well rounded look at the business as a whole.

Somewhere along the way they began taking in more than they were giving out. This ushered in a new goal . . . Take the money, invest the principal and give away the earnings as a perpetual scholarship fund.

Today that invested principal is more than $1,000,000 and the total scholarships awarded fall somewhere between $25,000 and $50,000 dollars . . . Every year!

On March 30, 2011, the CLASS Fund presented the staff of Cal Poly Pomona a check for $100,000 to fund and develop the school?EUR??,,????'???s new program, the California Center for Land and Water Stewardship (CCLAWS, pronounced ?EUR??,,????'??Claws?EUR??,,????'???) . . . That?EUR??,,????'???s One Hundred Thousand Dollars!!! That?EUR??,,????'???s a big deal from a little group in Southern California.

I know that getting into naming names is going to get me into trouble with the ones that I fail to mention, as there have been hundreds of great people involved with the Class Fund over the years. Some are no longer with us. Cort Paul and John Culbertson immediately come to mind and definitely deserve mention.

Today there are a few dedicated souls, keeping the fund alive and about to set their eyes on a new goal of raising the bar to $2 million. Life members, Klaus Ahlers, Andy Bowden, Bob Cardoza, Jim Hogan, John Hourian, Marty McPhee, Rob Sawyer, Francis (Sully) Sullivan, and Leslie Temple are just a few of the many volunteers that have helped push this group to these great heights. Who will step up and take the mantle as the CLASS Fund grows into the future? Could it be you?

One of the neat things about the CLASS Fund is the program model is easy to follow. Wherever you are, if you can get a half-dozen dedicated members of the allied industry to agree to meet a few times a year for cocktails and tacos and each time you get together you throw a few bucks into the fund, you can start your own CLASS Fund. Okay, it might not be that easy . . . in the long run. But it is that easy to get it started.

In fact, what you will find is that others will want to join your get-togethers and soon vendors and nurseries will be kicking in funds and having meetings at their facilities. Before you know it, this whole giving back to the profession thing could take off and there could be a CLASS Fund in every major metropolis across the country.

It might seem like this is a bad economic season to begin donating money to anything but your kid?EUR??,,????'???s shoe fund, but it may also be a great season to donate your most valuable asset . . . Time.

Now . . . If you do get together and get your own CLASS Fund started (besides Colorado and Connecticut, you may have to develop your own acronym) please do let us know here at LASN. If there is anything we like to cover, it is you giving back to the business you love and prosper in . . .

Thanks to everyone out there currently giving back and to those who will be . . . .

God Bless!