CHELAN – In two very welcome developments late last week, the Seven Acres Foundation received a total of approximately $524,000 to directly help fund its construction of the Community Center at Lake Chelan.
First, Seven Acres Executive Director, Raye Evans, received word on Thursday (August 27) that the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust had approved a $300,000 grant for the project. “This effort has been in the works for quite some time, and what an incredible thrill it was to get the Thursday phone call from them with such great news. It certainly made my day, and our entire Board of Directors was obviously elated,” Evans said. She went on to give thanks to Westby Associates in Vancouver, Washington, a fundraising consulting firm specializing in assisting non-profit organizations achieve their financial goals.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust was created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, who was a co-founder of Tektronix, Inc. in Beaverton, Oregon, and a resident of Vancouver, Washington. The Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants to organizations that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, cultural, and spiritual base in creative and sustainable ways. Steve Moore, Executive Director, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, said the Seven Acres project is an excellent fit for their Trust. “Community centers play a vital role in the overall health and strength of a community, both by helping build relationships and connections between individuals and families while also offering a wide variety of programming to support the diverse needs of those who live within the service area. We are grateful to play a small role in supporting the Seven Acres Foundation as they seek to bring this sort of priceless resource to the Lake Chelan community.”
The weekend then kicked off on Friday (August 28) with a live, on-air fundraising event on the radio in Chelan. Morning show personality, Jeff Conwell, hosted the 90-minute program along with Seven Acres Board members Brooke Isaak and Allan Mayer. Listeners were encouraged to call in and donate any amount of money they felt comfortable with, and call in they did. The station’s seven phone lines were jammed during the entire program, but those who couldn’t get through were still able to contribute all weekend long through the Seven Acres wesbiste.
Yesterday, (August 31) Seven Acres announced that approximately $237,000 had been raised during the weekend event, thanks in large part to their General Contractor for the project, Rimmer and Roeter of Cashmere, which challenged radio callers with a $75,000 matching contribution. That dollar number was matched during the radio show, and by Sunday evening when the fundraiser officially closed, a total of 114 people had made a donation to the cause. Ms. Isaak said “our organization was confident the event would be successful, but these stunning results definitely exceeded our wildest expections. It’s quite obvious our community wants this building to go up soon, and everyone’s generosity certainly helps.”
When asked to sum up the developments, Evans said “What a wonderful few days it’s been. With all the turmoil we’re seeing in today’s world, it warms my soul with gratitutde to know there are so many people with giving, selfless hearts among us.”
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