Preserving Howard Christensen
Tax deductible
As many of you have already heard, due to the lack of funding, earlier this week we were forced to make the tough decision to close the Interpretive Center, Monday through Thursday. This was a very hard decision for us to make, however it was necessary in order to try and keep HCNC open to the community. Sadly, just reducing our hours is not going to be enough to ensure our future.
Being a 501(c)3 non-profit, HCNC is not funded by the government or KISD and runs solely on donations. Grants are another way for a non-profit to receive funds, however due to poor choices from previous management, we do NOT currently qualify to apply for any grants.
On a positive note, HCNC is now under new management and has a very active board that wants nothing but success for the center. We also have some pretty amazing teachers that love spending time with the kids on school field trips and teaching them all about nature. We have so many BIG plans and fresh new events scheduled for the next year, if we can just manage to avoid closure.
In order to keep HCNC open, we have a minimum monthly expense of $3,500. Seems crazy, right? Well, trails, driveways, docks and boardwalks all require maintenance. Then you have your every day expenses such as heat, electric, trash removal and snow plowing. There is also the need for supplies that are used in our events and for those awesome field trips, on top of the expense of paying the teachers for their time. Of course there is also Uncle Sam who wants his cut - we can't forget about him! One often overlooked expense is the insurance we must carry to even let the public on the property.
Even for those who "only walk the trails" without funding, the closure of HCNC would also mean closure of the gates and property as a whole.
If you would like to help support HCNC in our time of need, we cannot express the urgency enough. We are hopeful that by being open and honest about our situation, that the community will choose to rally around us and help us through these struggles. At this point, EVERY dollar helps and will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time,
The Howard Christensen Board Members
Being a 501(c)3 non-profit, HCNC is not funded by the government or KISD and runs solely on donations. Grants are another way for a non-profit to receive funds, however due to poor choices from previous management, we do NOT currently qualify to apply for any grants.
On a positive note, HCNC is now under new management and has a very active board that wants nothing but success for the center. We also have some pretty amazing teachers that love spending time with the kids on school field trips and teaching them all about nature. We have so many BIG plans and fresh new events scheduled for the next year, if we can just manage to avoid closure.
In order to keep HCNC open, we have a minimum monthly expense of $3,500. Seems crazy, right? Well, trails, driveways, docks and boardwalks all require maintenance. Then you have your every day expenses such as heat, electric, trash removal and snow plowing. There is also the need for supplies that are used in our events and for those awesome field trips, on top of the expense of paying the teachers for their time. Of course there is also Uncle Sam who wants his cut - we can't forget about him! One often overlooked expense is the insurance we must carry to even let the public on the property.
Even for those who "only walk the trails" without funding, the closure of HCNC would also mean closure of the gates and property as a whole.
If you would like to help support HCNC in our time of need, we cannot express the urgency enough. We are hopeful that by being open and honest about our situation, that the community will choose to rally around us and help us through these struggles. At this point, EVERY dollar helps and will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time,
The Howard Christensen Board Members
Organizer
Jennifer Boverhof
Organizer
Kent City, MI
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