FPYC Fundraising Letter
Dear Friends of FPYC,
As most of you know the dining hall collapsed under the snow on January 22. Since then the FPYC board members have hired a contractor and the building is under construction with a completion date around the end of September. The good news is that the collapse happened before Snow Days, a competent contractor was hired, and to date it seems the insurance company has been reasonable. The challenging news is that there have been costs that the insurance company will not pay because the items were not related to the collapse. For example, black mold was discovered in the bathrooms and part of the kitchen and those areas had to be replaced. In other cases, we have opted for some upgrades that we believe will improve the facilities and it made the most sense to have them done while the project is in process. For example, we decided to have a steel roof instead of shingles so that the roof would match other projects on camp and snow might more easily slide off. The heating system also needed to be upgraded. We are still in the process of determining what the outlay will be to FPYC. The cost of the overall project is about $590,000. The best estimate to date is that the final expense to FPYC will be about $150,000 or more. If you think that is a lot, just know that the board does too; but all things considered, we feel good about what will be the end result. Just so you know, Gene Tarnowski, James Lichtblau, Ralph Weber and Don and Becky Bartch and others have done yeomen’s work in keeping the project progressing. We obviously are needing a lot of funds to cover the construction costs and go into 2021 with sufficient funds to cover operations through the summer of 2021 and for the camp to be in a healthy financial position. And so, we have decided to go “big” and are seeking to raise $200,000. We are needing donors who could make a large donation, as well as lots of donors who could give smaller amounts. One suggestion for an amount to give would be that you consider a gift that would be similar to what you would have spent going to camp in 2020 or depending on your present budget, a portion of your stimulus check. We know that because of the Covid crisis and job insecurities, this is a big ask for some and we understand if you are limited in the help you can provide. Related to fundraising, the board will be asking a group of members to prime the pump by having an initial amount of matching funds. We hope to announce that amount in the near future. Also, know that more important than monies are your prayers for the board and the camp. The board is really needing God to provide, because the whole project is beyond our abilities. As president, from my perspective, the board has done a remarkable job in trying to balance quality with keeping expenses as low as possible. The board wants to be responsible to members and to the Lord. Details in this letter have been kept to a minimum to focus on the donation request, but if you have questions or would like more details on construction costs, etc., the board certainly wants to answer them. For information write Gene Tarnowski at ggtarnowski@centurylink.net or Bruce Goodwin at vettomin@gmail.com. Funds cans contributed by sending a check to FPYC; 19803 State Highway 1; Cook, MN 55723 or paying through Paypal on the FPYC website (there are two Paypal links; one for the recurring “360” fundraiser and another link further down the page for one-time contributions). For the FPYC Board, Bruce Goodwin, President |
Help us reach our goal of $200,000
(donations + matching funds pledged) Current status: Donations since September 1: $28,000 Matching Funds Pledged: $22,000 Current status of fundraiser: $50,000 |