The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2016 51 Each year, the trust puts out a call for applications from members of the Foreign Service community who are volunteer- ing overseas and who could use a small grant to bolster their efforts. Ten trustees meet annually to review the grant applica- tions. Almost all of us knew Kirby Simon personally; some of us worked with him overseas, while others knew him through John and Claire. We all have some personal appreciation for what it is to serve as a diplomat overseas. Serving on the board of trustees is truly a labor of love; we have no full-time staff and rely entirely on donations. Dan Morris, a trustee, explains our commitment this way: “A bit of idealism, a service orientation, and a desire to make a dif- ference in people’s lives are big motivations for most of us join- ing the Foreign Service. Often that attitude is hard to maintain as one faces the magnitude and reality of the problems we’re presented and the difficulty of addressing them. Kirby embod- ied the best of that idealism and joy of life in serving others, and it is fitting that the trust in his name has been able to do so much for so many.” In any given year, we receive from 35 to 100 applications, and fund between one-half to two-thirds of them. We look for people who are committed to their projects through volunteer- ing on their own time, not simply raising funds. We focus on projects that would be difficult to fund any other way—too large for the applicant to pay for themselves, but too small for most established charities. What Has It Done? Since making our first grants in 1997, we have disbursed $1.4 million to 666 projects in countries around the world. Success- ful applicants usually request small amounts, typically under $4,500. Some grants are for as little as $500. During those 19 years, the trust has funded a wide variety of projects. In just one year, we provided computers for a soup kitchen in Argentina, greenhouses for a war-torn village in Bosnia, wells for a village hit hard by a cyclone in Myanmar (Burma), personal hygiene supplies for a homeless shelter in China and lighting for a youth basketball program in Cote d’Ivoire. And that’s just A through C. The authors of this piece have reviewed many hundreds of applications. Some are from groups of embassy or consulate staff members who want to conduct a medical outreach event, build a house or install new equipment at an orphanage where they volunteer. Other individuals use their unique talents to make a difference coaching a sports team or giving music lessons, or fill a specific need such as providing coats to the Each year, the trust puts out a call for applications from members of the Foreign Service community who are volunteering overseas and who could use a small grant to bolster their efforts. Kirby Simon in Paris in 1981. PHOTOCOURTESYOFJOHNANDCLAIRESIMON