Abraham Lincoln, Charles Lindbergh, Benjamin Franklin……..they are all waiting to share their stories with you at an unexpected venue—the Western Reserve Historical Society. Discover how Lindbergh’s signed letter of introduction, presented to the French ambassador after his first transcontinental flight, came to be on display in Northeastern Ohio. View, first hand, a signed letter from Lincoln on the day of his assassination, granting a distraught mother the release of her son from serving in the Union Army. Learn why a marble statue of Benjamin Franklin, carved in 1793, graces the halls of the historic Hanna Mansion in University Circle. But how will these historic treasures survive to be viewed by your descendents a hundred years from now?

 

The answer is, and has always been: the support of history lovers, friends, and others who, like you, appreciate that intimate, first-hand look at history provided by WRHS. The Society continues to collect, preserve, and highlight the history that makes our country and our Northeast Ohio region stand out. We are able to showcase these items in large part through your support of our Annual Fund campaign. Whether this is the first time that you are considering making a gift or you are renewing your annual contribution—we need your help! Our shortened fiscal year means that our needs are especially urgent—we only have nine months to generate twelve months of income. The books close on the 2008 Annual Fund on June 30, so we need your help NOW.

 

The Annual Fund is a yearly campaign that seeks unrestricted gifts from individual, corporate, and foundation friends to enable the Western Reserve Historical Society to fulfill its mission of preservation and education. Your 2008 Annual Fund donation will allow us to sustain and enhance the quality of our educational programs and services by:

·        developing innovative education models and teaching technologies that serve teachers and school children onsite and offsite via personal interaction with our trained museum educators, our website, and our long-distance learning programs-

 

·        supplying all the necessary materials central to the “living history process,” such as period clothing, tools, and home furnishings as well as heritage plants and animals-

 

·        meeting the rising costs of our current programs and providing the funding for new educational venues such as our “core experience”—a new interactive permanent exhibit that will introduce visitors to the unique history of the Western Reserve and Cleveland and allow them to draw conclusions about the region’s relevance today and in the future-

 

·        providing assistance in purchasing preservation materials such as acid-free tissue or Hollinger boxes to preserve our historic artifacts and documents-

 

·        supporting our library by investing in resources essential to adding to the body of knowledge of Western Reserve history through cutting-edge research and exploration of new areas of scholarship-

 

·        supporting the ongoing upkeep our superstructure—museums, historic buildings and sites, gardens, and grounds

 

Please take a moment now to make your unrestricted gift to the Society’s Annual Fund and become part of history in the making.   

                    Lindbergh, Franklin and Lincoln thank you. History lovers thank you, future generations thank you.