Dear St. Pete Bridge Club Members and all players and friends,
As we tally the results from our Labor Day tournament and head into peak hurricane season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the last year.
In October 2024, Hurricane Milton damaged our club building, forcing us to shut down for two months. However, thanks to you, our members, we not only survived but also thrived. Despite the storm, we are in much better financial shape due to the hard work of many volunteers.
We made the difficult decision to dispense with a paid club manager earlier this year and run the club with volunteers. This has been an enormous effort by many members, who have donated their time to create our monthly club calendar, schedule our games, hire directors, maintain our facilities, and provide for our members. I can’t thank you enough for all your efforts.
We refinanced our 10-year building loan in June by taking out a 5-year mortgage with Regions Bank for just under $100,000. Many thanks to all those members who loaned us more than half a million dollars ten years ago to purchase our club building, and to those who so generously donated their remaining loan balances.
Last year, we were approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. This resulted in our receiving an exemption from sales taxes and our $13,000 annual property taxes. It also makes any donations to the St. Petersburg Bridge Club tax-deductible.
Despite getting our financial house in order, membership and game fees only cover about 80% of the costs to run the club. The remaining 20% is comprised of education revenues from our Bridge booklet sales and Bridge classes, as well as donations from members like you.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Club, whether it be an IRA donation as part of your annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), a legacy donation as part of your estate plan, or any other method of your choice, please get in touch with me or any one of our board members.
Thank you for all you do to contribute to our club, whether it be volunteering, bringing food, or attending our games. Without your continued support, we would cease to exist.
Sincerely,
Catherine Vogel, President
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Dear St. Pete Bridge Club Members and all players and friends,
As we tally the results from our Labor Day tournament and head into peak hurricane season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the last year.
In October 2024, Hurricane Milton damaged our club building, forcing us to shut down for two months. ..........
..... see more