Donor Spotlight: Ron Purdy, Gilbert and Aileen Chuck Charitable Trust
Donor Spotlight
Some gifts are measured in dollars. Others are measured in the lives they change. Through the Gilbert and Aileen Chuck Charitable Trust, trustees Ron Purdy and Kevin Staker have committed $3.5 million to Reagan Foundation programs that reach hundreds of young people every year.
Their contributions fund the Great American Leadership Program, Ventura County Scholarship Awards, field trips and bus scholarships. In recognition of their sustained generosity, Ronald Reagan’s office in the Private Quarters and the “Rebuilding America” gallery in the museum have been dedicated to Gilbert and Aileen Chuck.
Ron Purdy has played a critical role in making these gifts possible and shaping these programs. Recently, he sat down with us to share his story.
Our Conversation
What drove Aileen Chuck’s giving?
Aileen was very concerned about this country’s future generations and wanted a strong America. During the Japanese occupation of China, Aileen’s father, Dr. Edwin Kam, was taken from his family. Aileen, her sister, and her mother were thrown out of their home and survived years on the streets of Shanghai before Dr. Kam found them and brought them to Honolulu. Aileen never wanted this country to go through what she endured. Though she could have lived like a princess in Hawaii, she chose to spend her life in education and philanthropy.
Why are youth at the heart of the Trust’s giving?
Scholarships and internships are powerful things for the individual. They make a lasting impact, and that’s what we’re trying to do: provide opportunities that can make a positive difference in young people’s lives. They’re our hope, the ones who will create change in our country.
Expanding the Ventura County awards so every finalist visits the Reagan Ranch was your idea. What led you there?
It used to be that 50 finalists came to the [Ventura County Scholarship Awards] ceremony, and 10 were awarded scholarships. The other 40 received certificates of participation. I thought, these are remarkable kids who are working so hard, and if you can help a person that age see who President Reagan was, that makes an impression. So, I worked with the Reagan Foundation so that all finalists could visit the Ranch. Now, all 50 students have an opportunity for that life-changing experience each year.
What does it mean to see President Reagan’s principles take root in these young leaders?
I think everybody is concerned about our younger generation. But lately I see a change, a sort of hunger. Young people are searching for structure and meaning, and we can help them find it. It means so much to give them opportunities to participate in programs where they learn to lead, debate with civility, and connect with President Reagan’s life and values—the traditional American values that made this country great.
What would you say to others considering a gift to the Reagan Foundation
First, find out what your priority is—what you believe and want to accomplish. Then search your portfolio for the things that fit that priority and find the right program. That’s what we’ve done with the Reagan Foundation. It’s been a great partnership; everything they do is first class. And the young people we’ve reached, they’ve just blossomed.
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