Dear Friends of Silver Lake,
An anonymous donor has stepped forward with a pledge of $400,000 to Friends of Silver Lake, contingent on FOSL’s gaining an agreement to purchase from the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ.
When invited to say why this gift and why now, the donor commented that they know how important early gifts are in inviting others to step forward too, and that they hope their gift will do just that.
“We are pledging $400,000 to FOSL because we believe that the mission of Silver Lake must continue and we have been blessed by God with the resources to help make that possible. I have had only a handful of stays at Silver Lake, but from my first visit, I knew it was a special place where God’s presence is felt throughout the property - along the stream, among the trees, by the pond and on the paths. For one of our sons, Silver Lake is a “happy place,” somewhere he loves to return to and reconnect with old friends. We see how important the Silver Lake community is to him and how it has shaped who he is today. We believe it is important for the work of Silver Lake to continue so new generations of youth can experience God and God’s love in that special place.”
Friends is preparing the means to accept multiple gift instruments such as stock transfers, Donor Advised Funds, Qualified Charitable Distributions and IRA rollovers, among others. It is anticipated such vehicles will be available by mid-September.
Representatives of the FOSL Board are in dialogue with representatives of SNEUCC about a pathway to purchase even as the Conference keeps the door open to other potential buyers. Two potential proposals have been submitted by FOSL and it is anticipated another will go forward soon. However, long-term sustainability for Silver Lake is a critical factor and early pledges and gifts are critical to FOSL’s efforts.
We invite you to consider what you will give to make this vision real. If you’d like to be in conversation, email our Development co-chairs, Davida Crabtree at dcrabtree@FriendsofSilverLake.com, or Cindy Cayer at ccayer@FriendsofSilverLake.com, and they’ll respond. If you simply want to make a gift, go to www.friendsofsilverlake.com/donate.
With Gratitude,
The Friends of Silver Lake Board
