On October 27, 1978, President Hayes began the incorporation process, followed by a ten day notice of a special meeting announced in the Caller, which was set for November 27, 1978. At that meeting the club membership voted overwhelmingly to proceed with incorporation and to retain for our corporate name “Grand Rapids Audubon Club, Inc.” Articles of Incorporation were duly signed on that day, and a ten member Board of Directors was designated. The first Board of Directors were: John Ham, Al Huisjen, John F. Will, Edith E. Jarvi, Charlotte Runnells, Dr. Kay T. Dodge, John H. Donaldson, Thomas W. Meaney, Dorothy Brant, and Kenneth T. Hayes. Kenneth T. Hayes was designated as the Resident Agent, and the registered office was fixed at his office address, 555 Old Kent Building, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503.

 The Articles of Incorporation were received in Lansing, Michigan on November 29, 1978, and on December 4, 1978, the Director of the Michigan Department of Commerce issued his Certificate of Incorporation.

 Although now incorporated, as a Michigan charitable corporation, this was not a sufficient status to qualify as an exempt charitable organization under Section 501 C (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. It was very important that GRAC, Inc. secure this additional status because donors of charit­able gifts can not secure tax credits on a gift unless the donee qualifies as a federally exempt organization, and until such status is obtained, GRAC, Inc. would be subject to federal income tax on all of the gifts it accepted, so there were two big reasons to start the recognition process.

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