Final campaign for auditorium project

A letter-to-the-editor in last week’s Whitefish Pilot has raised a question about the amount of money still owed on the Whitefish Middle School auditorium. The answer is that the fundraising team has raised (and paid off) just over $3.2 million.

We had $1.8 million in unpaid pledges, for a total of $5 million. The project cost $4.7 million, and we project another $500,000 to cover the cost of interest over the life of the fundraising, bringing the total to $5.3 million. Theoretically, we are within $300,000 of completion with pledges and donations to date.

Unfortunately, the last few months have been unkind to us, and several pledges totaling $700,000 have been withdrawn. The reasons for the pledge withdrawals have nothing to do with this project, but the economy and personal situations have forced individuals to take these actions. All of the individuals involved in this unfortunate turn of events remain strong supporters of the project but cannot complete their pledges in the near future.

However, this means the total to be raised has jumped to $1 million. The fundraising team of John Kramer, Carol and Rich Atkinson, Robert Chambers and David Pickeral is therefore launching “The Final Push” campaign in order to complete the fundraising in 2009.

The auditorium and performing arts center has progressed from a great idea to completion. The middle school students have fallen in love with it, and the auditorium has fundamentally changed education in the school.

This is the school system’s only auditorium. This year, all fifth- and sixth-graders study the performance arts every day. Please visit our new Web site www.whitefishpac.org for pictures and truly moving comments from school administrators, teachers and students. The site was designed and created by Bob Chambers and he did a fabulous job. As always, no fundraising funds have been spent on any project the committee does.

We need $1 million, and we need it quickly. More than 800 generous souls have contributed, but that leaves more than 5,000 Whitefisheans who have not contributed. We need big and small donations. The children and teenagers of Whitefish can help easily:

1. Tell adults how much the new auditorium means to you and your friends.

2. When your birthday or gifting holiday is coming up, ask your relatives to give you a special gift — a check made out to the Auditorium Project — and you hand deliver it to your school front office or call the fundraising team (862-7591) because we would love to meet you.

3. Or you can step it up and turn your birthday party (or any party) into a mini-fundraiser by asking that all of your gifts be checks to the auditorium.

4. Remember, the beauty of this kind of fundraising is that it costs the donor nothing, since he/she was planning to spend that amount for a present. Actually the donor saves money because the gift is 100 percent tax-deductible.

Adults can give in the same way:

1. Give something up for a month or two and send the money saved to the fundraising team (Auditorium Project, P.O. Box 4225, Whitefish MT 59937).

2. Or make a two-year pledge to the cause — give half in 2009 and the rest in 2010.

3. We are also asking the previous 800 donors to dig a little deeper and give a second or third time.

4. Finally, we ask all donors who have not completed their pledges to pre-pay part or all of the remaining money as soon as possible. That will reduce the total interest payments we must raise.

Please be aware that the fundraising team is also committed financially to the project and has given almost 30 percent of the total cash/pledged money received so far.

Also, two members have committed their home and business property to the tune of $3.5 million each. They would both like to remove those liens.

And remember to enter the contest — how many chins do Carol and Rich have on the Web site?

Remember — it’s for the kids.

Richard Atkinson lives in Whitefish.