Bob Ozretich Social Justice Memorial Fund
Bob Ozretich was a long-time fellowship member. He worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and had a life-long interest in environmental and social justice issues. He was killed when struck by a vehicle during a UUFC sponsored roadside pickup between Philomath and Corvallis. Bob had been the “trash czar” for many years. He organized the volunteers and managed the materials needed to conduct a trash pickup. Allan Deutsch, another long-time UUFC member, was also seriously injured in the accident that resulted in Bob’s death. Both Allan and Bob’s family received insurance payments related to the accident and both agreed it would be fitting to use residual insurance funds to establish this memorial fund in memory of Bob and his life goals. Given this specific situation, the UUFC board agreed that establishment of a named memorial fund was appropriate.
Ozretich Memorial Funds are available for student scholarships (college, community college or other), student internships (high school, college or other), or other student personal development activities (workshops, conferences, etc.). A student can be of any age, though preference will be given to younger people (<25 years of age). Preference will also be given to students with some affiliation to the UUFC. Financial need is not an award consideration. The overall fund goal is to afford opportunities to younger people for personal growth and development.
After an available funds calculation is made at the end of each calendar, a call for proposals shall be made with an April 1 proposal due date. Funds availability will be advertised in UUFC media and through affiliated groups. A 2-3-page proposal is to be submitted. The proposal must be written by the student applying for the funds but can be co-authored with others.
Our goal is to establish an endowment fund of at least $20,000. Given normal rates of return, this should generate ~$800 each year for allocation. We are more than halfway to the $20K goal at this time. We encourage all who knew Bob or who are in agreement with the goals of this memorial fund to make contributions. Together we can build a fund through which we can honor a past UUFC member and grow those of the future.
Bob Ozretich