Duane Hicks
The “Building for the Future” fundraising campaign’s “Drive for 35” phone blitz got off to a good start yesterday, having raised $9,000 of the final $35,000 needed to meet its $750,000 goal.
Campaign chair Mark Kowalchuk said this morning that thanks to the generosity of area residents, they’ve now reached $724,000.
The “Drive for 35” blitz kicked off with a $5,000 pledge, to be paid over three years, from local OSSTF vice-president Paul Elliott.
The other $4,000 came from numerous pledges made by those who received telephone calls from a dedicated group of volunteers, although some donors didn’t even have to receive a phone call to prompt them to support the cause.
Instead, they marched down to the Fort Frances Public Library to fill out a pledge card and make their donation count as part of the final “Drive for 35.”
“It was a good first day. There was a good response from the people—they certainly knew about the campaign, so the ads and the articles have been very effective,” noted Kowalchuk.
“That’s been very reassuring.”
The team of volunteers will continue to call area residents through Friday to try and reach that final $35,000 goal. Local residents who haven’t gotten a phone call yet should expect one sometime this week.
Kowalchuk said volunteers are trying to make it as easy as possible for people to give. They will phone you and if you want to make a pledge, they’ll take down your information (such as your name, address, how much you want to give, how you want pay, etc.) and even write it on a pledge card for you.
They’ll then come by your home that week, or in the first few days of the following week, and get you to sign the pledge card and complete the process (i.e., pick up the cheque, get your VISA number, etc.)
That said, organizers don’t want interested donors to wait for their phone call—they’re more than welcome to visit the public library right now to get a pledge card.
Kowalchuk stressed it doesn’t matter if donations are small or large, in a lump sum, or spread over three, four, or five years—every penny helps to move the new Fort Frances Library and Technology Centre that much closer to construction.
Payment options, like Mastercard, VISA, or automatic deductions, are available. As well, all donations over $25 will be issued a tax receipt.
Donors who give $500 or more, or in memory or honour of others, will be acknowledged on a donor wall in the new library and technology centre.
The Fort Frances Library and Technology Centre building committee is working on a timeline to proceed to tender in January to enable construction to begin in early spring.
The centre will be a 13,770 sq. ft., single-storey structure located at the corner of First Street East and Reid Avenue, adjacent to the Memorial Sports Centre.
