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Weathervane & Alumni Attempt to Raise $200,000 |
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Written by Timothy Breese Miller
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Last season, Weathervane Theatre friends Meyer and Ellen Koplow announced a matching donation pledge in honor of their friend and former Weathervane Board president Lou Darby. To that end, more than one hundred friends and supporters contributed over $27,000 in just ten days.
This year, the Koplows have extended a new offer: they will match by half, all donations and/or pledges made by July 1 to retire the Weathervane Theatre mortgage, up to $100,000. In other words, donations received by July 1 to retire the debt will be increased by fifty percent- up to $100,000- if the Weathervane raises up to $200,000 in cash and/or signed pledges by July 1, 2008. By retiring the mortgage debt, the Weathervane's annual obligation of more than $24,000 in finance costs would be eliminated.
At a planning retreat in January, the alumni board, under the leadership of newly-elected WVAA president Mary Whithed, unanimously agreed to make the campaign a priority of its own and the WVAA board members Kathleen Suss initiated a fundraising effort to support the cause. She organized and implemented a direct mail campaign in pursuit of alumni contributions and pledges to the WVAA. All such donations and pledges shall be forwarded to the Weathervane Theatre as a single contribution prior to the July 1 deadline.
As of this writing, the Weathervane Theatre has already raised over $100,000 toward its goad and alumni are encouraged to donate and/or pledge as generously as possible to assist the effort. Please send your pledge or donation to WVAA, Inc. P.O. Box 69, Gardiner, NY 12525. All donations are fully tax-deductible. |