President, Harold James Family Trust
For more than three decades, Ron and Laura, through the Harold James Family Trust, have donated millions of dollars to the Prescott area. The projects they and their family support are diverse, ranging from medical and preventative health to housing; education to nature; religious to civic and governmental; and ranching and agricultural issues.
“Every project or commitment we make gives us great satisfaction for different reasons,” Ron says. “Our passion — we want to give back to the area we love so intensely.”
“We knew since we first came here that Prescott was exceptional.”
The James’ first major philanthropic project was the James Family Prescott YMCA. Ron says they looked at the original one-room building where the YMCA was incorporated in 1914 on Whipple Street and decided to expand it for the benefit of the entire region.
It offers some of the most comprehensive YMCA programs in Arizona – from toddlers to seniors – and operates year-round.
In 2014, the James family identified a critical community need and generously gave financial support to what now is called the James Family Heart Center. In November 2019, one phase of the James Family Heart Center, the cardiac catheterization laboratory, was introduced as one of the first in the western U.S.
James family generosity also supported the restoration of the century-old Elks Theatre to its original splendor.
The vision that Ron James and his family support lets “Everybody’s Hometown” continue its upward rise as one of America’s most beloved cities.
