Norwin board member accuses nonprofit of violating IRS rules banning political activity by charities

A North Huntingdon charity that raises money to fight childhood cancer has been accused of violating rules for tax-exempt charities by allowing political literature to be placed in fundraising packets last year.

Norwin School Board Director Alex Detschelt said he filed a complaint last week with Internal Revenue Service, alleging that Reflection of Grace Foundation Inc. violated rules barring tax-exempt charities from engaging in political activity.

Detschelt said campaign cards supporting the We Are Norwin slate of school board candidates were placed in bags given to runners and walkers in a race sponsored by foundation. Detschelt supported the opposing Change4Norwin slate of candidates that won all five spots on the Republican ballot in the primary, but all of those candidates lost in the November election.

“I wish to hold the officers of Reflections of Grace accountable. There are rules in place for a reason,” Detschelt said, adding that such political activity is “contrary to one of the most basic rules applicable to a nonprofit organization.”

Detschelt said he is not seeking to have the IRS strip the foundation of its tax-exempt charitable status.

“That is not my decision to make, as the complaint only raises awareness to the IRS,” Detschelt said.

The board of the Reflections of Grace Foundation, founded in 2009, said it would address the issue if it is contacted by the IRS. The foundation was founded by Brian and Tamara Ekis, whose daughter Grace died of a rare brain cancer at age 5.

While the foundation’s board characterized the IRS rules on the issue as “complex,” it said it was confident that it “has not violated these rules.”

The foundation said it has given a combined $873,000 to 600 families of children battling brain cancer across the country. It also has awarded $710,000 to fund crucial research grants through the DIPG Collaborative, with the intent of someday discovering a cure.

Detschelt announced last week on social media that he had filed a complaint with the IRS. IRS spokesman Anthony Burke said the agency could neither confirm nor deny that it had received a complaint or whether it was investigating the matter.

Complaints against tax-exempt charitable organizations are referred to IRS analysts in Dallas, the agency says on its website.

Detschelt said some of the political literature was removed from race bags after he complained to organizers two days before the race. But Detschelt suspects some people would have already collected their packets by that time. More than 1,400 people participated in last year’s race, according to the foundation.

The decision to remove the literature from the race bags “was not based on any admission of (or belief of) wrongdoing, but instead was to address a concern raised by an individual and to attempt to stem any further misperception,” the foundation said in a statement.

Tim Kotch Sr., one of the candidates on the We Are Norwin slate, said candidates removed the campaign cards from as many packets as possible when they were informed Detschelt had complained about the political literature. Kotch and fellow slate member Bill Bojalad had donated gift baskets to the foundation as part of the fundraising events.

“There was nothing nefarious about it (donation). We’re embarrassed that it caused all this fuss,” Kotch said.

The foundation has since adopted a policy indicating it will not place any items that could be construed as political in race bags in the future, according to Dan Dodaro, a foundation board member.

Detschelt, whose term expires in December 2025, said he believes the presence of the campaign cards “had an influence on the outcome of the election due to the demographics that participate in this race and was exposed to the WAN (We Are Norwin) flyer.”