Mission Statement

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is a not-for-profit that raises and prudently invests its funds to support production and floriculture research, and education programs to benefit the floriculture industry.

History

On January 31, 1961, the Society of American Florists Endowment (now the American Floral Endowment) was incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia.  The organization’s business and objectives were charitable and educational work relevant to floriculture and environmental horticulture, with results to benefit all members of the floral industry and the general public.  Originally, six trustees were named to administer the organization.

On February 21, 1966, the Endowment was granted an exemption from federal income tax as described in section 501 (c) (3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service code.  Henceforth, contributions made to the Endowment were deductible by donors as provided in section 170 of the code, and sections 2055, 2106, and 2522.

Initially, industry leaders committed to the Endowment idea were involved in planning sessions.  A major decision emanating from these meetings was to use only the earnings of the principal to endow university research teams for studies in floriculture and environmental horticulture.  The Certificate of Incorporation states:  “Until such time as the assets of this corporation reach $1 million, expenditures are to be made only from income and not from principal, except as necessary to comply with the law.”

Name

Originally called the Society of American Florists Endowment (SAFE), in March of 1984, the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to change the name to American Florists Endowment.  In 1986, the Board changed the name to American Floral Endowment.

For a shortened version of the name, the Board agreed to reference the organization as “The Endowment,” rather than use the acronym (AFE).

Logo

The logo design depicts the conceptual idea of “One Tree Serving all Branches of Floriculture and Environmental Horticulture.”

When the name was changed in 1986, the logo (tree) was retained, but it was agreed that it would be used in conjunction with the signature (name) located to the right of the tree in a stacked manner.

1961-1965

From its inception in 1961 until late 1965, The Endowment was maintained on a volunteer basis by the trustees.  The leaders were Charles Pennock, the first chairman, and John Henry Dudley, the treasurer.

From 1961-1965, the Endowment’s base of operation was Mr. Pennock’s home in Pipersville, PA, where all secretarial functions were conducted.  All contributor and financial records were maintained in Mr. Dudley’s office at the John Henry Company, Lansing, MI.

1965-1968

Late in 1965, the corporate files and secretarial duties were turned over to Erma Houston (Cook), the Executive Director of the Wholesale Florists and Florist Suppliers of America (WF & FSA).  Mrs. Houston was named assistant secretary and held the position until 1968.  She was paid a nominal fee for her services.

1968-1978

In 1968, the corporate records and secretarial functions of the Endowment were moved into the Society of American Florists’ (SAF’s) office in Washington D.C. The Executive Director was John H. Walker, who appointed Betty Seitz (Abrams) as the liaison for the Endowment, and she remained in this position until 1974 when she left SAF and moved from the Washington area.  An annual service fee was paid to the SAF, as agreed upon by both boards.

From 1974-1978, a number of personnel changes occurred within SAF and the Endowment.  In 1978, Florists’ Mutual Insurance Company in Edwardsville, IL offered to put all Endowment contributor records on their computer as an industry service.  Acceptance of this offer ultimately provided the impetus to headquarter the Endowment in Edwardsville.

1978-1993

On August 1, 1979, Betty Abrams was named Executive Director of the Endowment.  Early in 1986, the Endowment purchased a computer to maintain all contributor records and to provide other data processing services.

In 1992, Vic and Margaret Ball made a gift of $800,000 to AFE to provide internships and scholarships for students interested in pursuing careers in greenhouse production.

1993-1999

In 1993, the Trustees purchased a small building as the headquarters for the Endowment.  Until this time, operations were centralized at Betty Abrams’ home.  In 1993, Betty Abrams decided to retire from her position of Executive Director and Bob Stoeckl was hired as Executive Vice President.  Under his leadership, the scientific research and educational programs expanded significantly.

1999-2005

Steven F. Martinez was hired as the Executive Director in June 1999 and Dr. Gus De Hertogh was retained as the AFE Research Coordinator.  Dr. De Hertogh brought a level of expertise to the review process that has been very beneficial for the Endowment.

AFE was early in establishing a website and was therefore able to secure its address, www.endowment.org.

In the early years of AFE, a major fundraising project was the “Cadillac  Raffle” where donors paid $100 for tickets in hopes of winning a Cadillac. The raffle was dropped upon advice of legal counsel. .  Beginning in 1973, AFE began raising funds through a national Phone-a-thon that was conducted every 5 years. That event was repeated regularly through 2005.

2005-2008

In 2005, the Endowment moved its operations to Hortica whose management team assumed oversight responsibilities for AFE’s operations and staff.

In 2006, the Floral Industry Research and Scholarship Trust, or FIRST, merged into AFE.  With FIRST came 28 scholarships many of which were consolidated or spent down so that today there are 18 of these scholarships that AFE oversees.  In February 2007, Sten Crissey was hired to be Vice President of Development and Industry Relations.  In March of that year, Julie Schottel was hired to be the new Administrator.

2008 - Present

In July 2008, the Trustees transferred the management of AFE to the Society of American Florists in Alexandria, Virginia.  The AFE office was moved to SAF headquarters and Debi Aker was named Manager.

In September 2008, The James and Helen Phillip Endowed Scholarship Fund was established of $800,000 by their daughter, Lee Phillip Bell, with the purpose of providing support to young people who aspire to a career in retail floral design and operations.

The 50th anniversary of The Endowment will be celebrated at the AFE Dinner previous to the SAF convention in Orlando on September 22, 2010.