By Michael Morse – Special to the Florida Catholic
If you have reached the age that you must take a required minimum distribution (RMD) from your IRA, did you know that you can transfer up to $100,000 each year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity like the Catholic Community Foundation, your Parish, School or other Catholic Program or Ministry? By rolling over your IRA distribution directly to a charity, it qualifies as your RMD and you avoid having to include the distribution as taxable income. Beginning in 2020, the age at which RMDs must start is 72. However, individuals can begin making Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from their IRAs as early as age 70½.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) provide a powerful opportunity for donors from all income levels to support the Catholic Parishes, Schools and Ministries about which they care most. Some of today’s retirees have more money in their IRAs than they need for daily living expenses and/or their long-term care. They are able to use the surplus in their IRAs to help make a significant difference in the lives of others, without negatively impacting their own quality of life. Other retirees with more modest incomes, like Mike and Ronda, can also benefit from QCDs.
Mike and Ronda are both retired Catholic School teachers and have always been loyal supporters of their Parish, contributing their time, talent, and treasure on a regular basis. In addition to their other retirement income, they have two small traditional IRAs, from which they are required to take $1,000 per year as their Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Since they pay 10% income tax in their retirement, they are bringing home a total of $900 per year from their IRAs after taxes. Simply by having their IRA custodian transfer the full $1,000 RMD directly to their Parish instead of receiving the distribution themselves, they will receive the following benefits:
- Entitles them to tax benefits without requiring them to itemize their deductions;
- They increase their Parish giving by 10% without costing them one additional penny;
- Instead of giving $100 in taxes to the government, they are giving it to the Church.
By using QCDs for their charitable giving, donors like Mike and Ronda can decide each year if and/or how much of their RMD they would like to use. In fact, they can distribute up to $100,000 each calendar year from their respective IRAs regardless of the size of their RMDs. They can even decide to support multiple charities from the same IRA. However, they must make sure that donations are dispersed from their IRA directly to a qualified charity to qualify for the tax benefits.
Michael Morse is the Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation of Southwest Florida Inc. To learn more about the Foundation, please call 941-441-1124, email Morse@dioceseofvenice.org or visit www.CCFDioceseofvenice.org.
Two Bishop Verot Catholic High School seniors, Adam Belof and Gavin Hart, spent the week of July 18-22, 2022, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, representing Southwest Florida at the Junior Gold Bowling Championships. This is an annual national tournament for the top male and female youth bowlers in the United States. Only the best bowlers in the nation qualify, and these two certainly represented the Fort Myers area and Bishop Verot very well!
Every day, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc., serves its most vulnerable population by feeding, housing, empowering, and helping all in need. This summer, you can be the one that makes a difference. Your acts of kindness have the power to transform lives and leave a positive impact in our community. The Catholic Charities “Summertime and the Giving is Easy Appeal” is asking for your support. The giving is easy! Your gift will make a positive impact on our less fortunate brothers and sisters! Please visit 
Would you know how to help a pregnant woman in need? Maybe it’s your daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, sister, or neighbor. Maybe it’s someone you see in a store, restaurant, or church. Perhaps she is crying, looks distraught or is obviously being treated poorly by someone. Through a new national initiative from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called Walking with Moms in Need, now you will know how to help. Walking with Moms in Need teaches the faithful how to help pregnant women in need, starting by letting them know they are not alone. The nationwide Catholic program calls every parishioner to learn the names of their local pregnancy help centers, the first responders for women with unexpected or difficult pregnancies. If you know of someone who is pregnant and needs help immediately, visit 
Registration is now open for the Diocese of Venice Oct. 22, 2022, “Together in Holiness” Marriage Conference, presented in partnership with the Diocese of Venice Office of Family Life and the St. John Paul II Foundation. To register, please visit 
A three-year revival of devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist begins with the Diocesan phase, from June 19, 2022, through June 11, 2023. During the Diocesan Year, there will be a series of events and retreats that encourage the renewal of the Church “by rekindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” The pinnacle of the coming year will be a Diocesan Eucharistic Congress on March 24 and March 25, 2023. This event, which is in the early planning stages, will take place at the Convention Center and Luminary Hotel on the Fort Myers riverfront. The National Eucharistic Revival is a focused effort by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to revive a devotion to and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, visit 
The Women’s Club of St. Thomas More Parish in Sarasota has concluded another successful fundraising season. The Club’s Board gathered recently and presented $5,000 to Pastor, Father Gordon Zanetti; $1,500 to Awareness Manager, Brenda McGowan, of Selah Freedom; and $1,500 to Director of Development, Mary Ellen Mancini, of SPARCC (Safe Place & Rape Crisis Center). The Women’s Club also supports the efforts of Resurrection House and Remnant Church/Café of Sarasota. If you are interested in the St. Thomas More Women’s Club, please visit 
The recipients of the Mary Fran Carroll, Coseglia, Schaerf, Toner, Schwarz and Carey Scholarships were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements and for their commitment of continuing their education in pursuit of wide-ranging career paths such as education, medicine, business, engineering and more. The Foundation Scholarship Committee carefully reviewed 142 applications before determining the winners. Many of the Foundation Board members were present for the luncheon. (See a complete listing of scholarship recipients below.)
The Competitive Cheer Team at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers took second place at the Class 1A Extra Large Varsity State Championships on Feb. 2, 2022, at University of Florida Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. Way to go!
The St. Michael Parish 2022 High School Youth Festival gathered more than 80 students in Wauchula on Feb. 5, 2022. The theme this year was “We are made to be great!” The day consisted of three talks given by Greg Stearns, an outdoor games tournament, prayer and quiet time with our Lord, the opportunity for confessions and Holy Mass. It was a beautiful day of fellowship.
Bishop Verot Catholic High School student Cornelia Ovren won BEST OF SHOW for her acrylic painting of The Triangle Waist Company at the Fort Myers Art Fest on Feb. 6, 2022. A team from Verot also won The Golisano Children’s Hospital Sunny and Sparkle award for their clever execution of Chalk Block’s theme: “Choose to Include” in the chalk art competitions. In the same competition, another Verot group took honorable mention for their chalk block “Come Together” tribute.
Several Diocesan Catholic high school sports teams won district titles recently. The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School girls’ basketball team in Sarasota took the District title Feb. 4, 2022. The Mooney girls’ soccer team earned their own District title Feb. 3. The St. John Neumann Catholic High School girls’ basketball team in Naples also took their District title Feb. 4. Both boys’ and girls’ soccer teams at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers captured District titles Feb. 2.
Among the scholarships being offered is the Mary Fran Carroll Scholarship to residents of Sarasota County, for the 2022-23 academic year. A total of 11 scholarships are being offered for both traditional and non-traditional students.
