Press Coverage

About the Foundation from President Barbara Baker

Meet a Foundation Scholarship Recipient, Abbigail Hamilton

Abbigail Hamilton, daughter of Stephen Hamilton, RVCC Clubhouse Manager, attends Invers Hills Community College. She is in the nursing program and will graduate with a Nursing associate’s degree in December 2026. Her goal is to work in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She lives in Bloomington, MN and teaches dance four nights a week while attending school full-time. In her free time, she loves to read mystery novels and play with her cat, Joe. Abbie says “This scholarship means the world to me. Nursing school is a full-time commitment with very little free time. This scholarship helps me follow my dreams without having to worry about the cost of education.” To the residents of Rio Verde who contributed to the Foundation and made her scholarship possible she adds, “I want to thank you for your contributions. I am so grateful to have received this scholarship so I can continue helping people in my community. I am excited to start my journey as a registered nurse at the end of this year.”

New Board Member elected to Rio Verde Community Foundation

The Rio Verde Community Foundation is pleased to announce the election of Wendy Holly to its Board, effective April 1, 2026. Wendy has been involved in the Rio Verde community since 2021. Wendy is a choir member and active participant in church bible studies and prayer meetings. She is on the board of the Verdes Art League and heads up its Member Care. She participates in the WGA as a Niners member. Wendy says, “The Foundation’s Motto “give where you live” immediately struck a chord with me. My greatest joy as an educator was my personal involvement with my students and their families. I love this community and want to further act on what is my daily prayer “let me not miss an opportunity to be kind and help someone in need today”.

Thank You for 2026 Scholarship Support
Kramer Henson and Shelly Esse are grateful to the Rio Verde Community Foundation for the generous contribution to further their education and future career goals. The ongoing impact of the Foundation’s support is improving the
lives of individuals and our community.

Michele (Shelly) Esse: RVCC Facilities Director
Shelly is responsible for all Clubhouse maintenance, improvements and housekeeping. Plus during the
Holidays Shelly plans, implements and oversees the Club’s beautiful holiday decor along with resident volunteers.
Thanks to the scholarship grant from the Foundation, she is currently studying for the (FMP) Facility Manager Professional accreditation with International Facility Managers Association (IFMA). She would like to pursue her (CFM) Certified Facility Manager. The CFM is the pinnacle achievement in facility management and widely regarded as the industry standard certification.
Prior to entering into golf course management, Shelly was a flight attendant for 22 years. She took an early retirement and became a Certified Master Gardener in Minnesota, which led to her start in golf course management working for Deer Run Golf Club in Victoria, MN, for 8 years. She moved to Arizona in 2016 and obtained her AZ Master Gardener certification and worked at McDowell Mountain Golf Club prior to joining Rio Verde Country Club in 2022.
Shelly raised three sons and has two dogs.

Kramer Henson: RVCC Head Golf Professional
Kramer has been working at the Club since 2019. Hired as an Assistant Golf Professional, he has worked himself up to his current position in 2022 as Head Golf Pro. He works with the Director of Golf to oversee and manage the various facets of the golf operations.
The scholarship money that he received from the Foundation is being used to complete his Bachelor’s degree. He registered to attend Grand Canyon University in June, 2025 with a targeted completion date of October, 2026 with a degree in Science of Applied Management.
His future career goals are to become a Director of Golf, further his PGA education and continue making a positive impact in the golfing community.
Kramer is married with two children and enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking and target shooting. You can always see him around the Club greeting members.

Jennifer Page
Jennifer Page is a six-year resident of Rio Verde and an active member of the community. She has served as the president of the WGA board and is secretary of the Golf Committee for the Rio Verde Country Club. Jennifer says, “I am joining the Foundation Board because it brings people together for shared purpose and creates a sense of pride and ownership in our community.”

Bruce Peterson
As the head of the RVCC Golf committee and helped establish the Rotary Club of the Verdes. He is also on the Investment Committee of the HOA. Bruce describes the Foundation as “a significant asset for the community.” He explains, “I want to hear suggestions from the community on further development projects for the Foundation to provide value for our community.”

Rod Bulcher
Rod Bulcher is a Tonto Verde Resident and member of the Rio Verde Country Club. He serves on the RVCC Governance Committee and is a member of the House, Golf, and Teller Committees. He has been a choir member at the Community Church of the Verdes for three years. Rod adds “My joining the Board of the Foundation is an opportunity for me to give back to the community and offer the less fortunate opportunities they might not otherwise experience.”

2025 Foundation Fundraiser a Huge Success
Residents took the slogan of the Rio Verde Community Foundation to heart, “Give Where You Live,” at the annual fundraiser in November. Donors exceeded a generous $30,000 match to fund a variety of Foundation projects in 2026. Since receiving Foundation Status from the IRS in 2019, RVCF has funded scholarships to 18 individuals (several for multiple years) and donated funds to a variety of projects that promote educational, cultural and health related activities in our community.

Thank You for Your Support
“The Foundation is grateful for the support residents have shown as we fulfill our mission and grow our efforts to enhance Rio Verde Life,” Vice President Barbara Baker said recently. “We have a number of grant requests and cooperative plans for community enhancement to share in the coming months.”
Within the past year, RVCF Board Members have met with many of the Rio Verde community organizations to learn how Foundation efforts can cooperatively support and strengthen ongoing initiatives. Through these collaborative discussions, the Foundation has identified opportunities to align its resources with the evolving needs of local groups, ensuring its project support has the greatest positive impact.

Barbara Baker is set to succeed Dave Ness as Foundation President. “Our vision in 2026 continues the activities and this cooperative direction of Dave Ness,” Barbara said. “We thank Dave for his leadership these past two years.” Barbara will succeed Dave as the Rio Verde Community Foundation president in January.

Scholarships for Rio Employees and Employee Children
Scholarships continue to be one focus of the Foundation, with applications taken each year from Rio Verde employees and the children of Rio Verde employees. New scholarship recipients were introduced during the evening fundraiser and included Jorge Angel, Rio Atkinson, Shelly Esse, Abbigail Hamilton, and Kramer Hanson. These individuals will be highlighted in the Roadrunner in the months ahead.

How to Donate
Donations to the RVCF can be made throughout the year by mailing your donation to: Rio Verde Community Foundation, 18816 E Four Peaks Blvd., Rio Verde, AZ 85263.
The Rio Verde Community Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) public charitable
foundation. Questions and for more information, please visit the Foundation website:
RioVerdeCommunityFoundation.org.
Note: The Foundation is totally separate from the Rio Verde Community Association and the Rio Verde Country Club.

5-09-2025 The Rio Verde Community Foundation (RVCF) is ready to celebrate the college graduation of Ben Danko an RVCF scholarship recipient.

Son of Eileen and Ben Danko of the Rio Verde Golf Shop, Ben 22, will graduate this month from Arizona State University with a degree in Finance. “When I completed high school and moved to Arizona my number one concern was not school or grades, but how I could pay for my living expenses and make sure I was not going into debt”, Ben said recently. “Having Rio Verde cover the last of college cost took a lot of pressure off me”.

Over four years. Ben received $14,000 in RVCF scholarships which he supplemented by working a myriad of jobs throughout his college career,
ending with his current position as a server at Fleming’s Steakhouse.
Ben was certainly influenced by his parents in choosing finance as a career.
His mother, Eileen is a CPA, Howard, his father earned a master’s degree
in finance. Currently interviewing in a tight job market, his goal is a
position in banking or wealth management.
“I truly appreciate the financial support I received from Rio Verde,” Ben
said. “The RVCF helped me achieve my goal of graduating debt-free.”

Meet Two of the Foundation’s Scholarship Recipients
Fernando Becerra, head mechanic of the Rio Verde
Country Club (RVCC) Greens and Grounds staff, used
his Foundation scholarship to attend a six-week engine
tuning class offered by the University of Northwestern
Ohio. He attended a two-week in-person portion of the
class and completed the final portion on-line.
Fernando has been employed at the Club since 2017
and has been promoted steadily through positions due
to his good performance on the job. He has been head
mechanic for the last three years and supervises 24 employees. He lives
nearby with his family. Fernando is looking into continuing his education
and certifications.

Antonio Unpingco, also employed by the Club’s
Greens and Grounds staff, used his Foundation
scholarship to cover courses taken as part of a Penn
State University Turf Grass Agronomy Management
Program. He has completed courses covering soils, soil
nutrition, fertilizing applications, and plans to
complete a course in pesticides. He is also working
towards his Arizona pesticides spraying license.
Antonio obtained a BA degree in Sociology from
Western Washington University in 2019. He lives in
south Tempe with roommates. He loves his job outdoors and intends to pursue more education in Agronomy. Antonio is a golfer.