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Make your donation now! Please add a note including an address where we can send a thank you and tax letter for your generosity. Campaign to Restore the Old Town Hall in West Stockbridge |
We have some exciting news. Just as we started planning for the next phase of the Campaign to Restore the Old Town Hall, an anonymous donor stepped forward to give us a $30,000 challenge gift to help jump-start our fundraising. This is what our donor told us about the decision to make this gift, the most generous individual contribution we’ve yet received:
“I have been contributing to this restoration for 10 years. I have learned what it takes to restore a building from the 1850s, both physically and to modern use standards. I think it’s time to speed up this process. So I am donating $30,000 as a challenge gift, which will double what you contribute, by Thanksgiving, up to $1,000. I urge you to stretch your giving to your max. And please don’t stop at $1,000, if you are able to give more. Join me in getting this labor of love done, so that the West Stockbridge Historical Society can continue to serve our community, and we can all fully enjoy the building -- our amazing heritage.”
Below you’ll find a copy of the brochure we sent out detailing the history of all we’ve accomplished together in the last decade. We’ve raised over $780,000 through private donations, benefit concerts, competitive matching state grants, and private foundations —over 40% of which has come from you, our loyal members. Over a six-year period of construction, we’ve completed key phases of the restoration, culminating this Spring in the structure for the rear extension and the installation of the ADA-compliant elevator—by far the most costly and critical part of the restoration.
We plan to apply for another matching grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in November, requesting funds to install new windows and an air conditioning system (yes!) which we estimate will cost approximately $100,000. When we apply for the grant, MCC asks us to prove that we have a substantial portion of the match on hand. That’s why it’s so important for you to contribute now and take advantage of this wonderful challenge opportunity — doubling your donation. If we get the matching grant, your contribution will will be 4x what you donate!
This year, working around the construction, we mounted more events than ever— adding a jazz series to an already busy schedule of concerts, programs, and exhibits. Just think of all the great things we’ll be able to do when the restoration is finally completed! We hope we can count on you at this critical juncture to help bring us another step closer to restoring the Old Town Hall — “our amazing heritage” — and to making it the beautiful and vibrant cultural center we all know it can be!
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