Dear friend of the USS Saratoga,

The famed anthropologist Margaret Mead once wrote:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

The volunteers and staff of the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation are striving to be such a group, and we need your help to keep our effort moving forward.

As year end approaches, we know you are inundated with requests for contributions from many worthwhile causes. Given your previously expressed interest in this project, however, we hope our plea will strike a responsive chord.

The success or failure of this project rests squarely on our collective shoulders. To move forward with an effective capital campaign in this economy, we must "prime the pump" so that potential donors and sponsors see a strong foundation of contributions and pledges from the Saratoga family.

That capital campaign will have a goal of $3 million. Before we can launch that campaign, however, we must update the studies we produced three years ago. Our market research and financial feasibility analysis needs to reflect changes in the economy and the post 9/11 world. Our engineering plans must also be reworked due to our move from the pier at Quonset to the Davisville piers a couple of miles to the north.

The results must be repackaged and resubmitted to the Navy to ensure the continuation of Saratoga's donation status and our position as the sole qualified applicant. This work will also significantly strengthen our applications for more than $2 million in pending grants and other funding.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 in operating funds over the next six months to get this work done. If we succeed, we will be well on our way to achieving our first major objective: hosting the Last Cruise of the Saratoga" across Narragansett Bay.

Our future is brighter now than it has ever been. Rhode Island's new Governor, Donald L. Carcieri, is fulfilling his pledge to help preserve the USS Saratoga as a floating museum, education center and family attraction at Quonset/Davisville. In June he and his wife, Sue, hosted a major fund-raising event at their home in support of the Saratoga museum project.

The Russian Submarine Museum has completed its first full year of operation, and it has proven it can pay its own way. Our overnight educational program has also been approved by all the regulatory agencies, and the first group of Scouts successfully completed its stay.

The sub museum's success is benefiting our effort in many ways. In addition to being self-supporting and producing needed cash flow, the Sub Museum has put us "in play" as the successful operator of a naval museum visited by some 20,000 people from every corner of the world. The experience has enhanced our knowledge of museum operations, and invigorated staff, volunteers and supporters who have watched the sub become a major tourist destination.

We are closer now than ever before to saving Sara, and putting her back to work for her country.

To help, please consider making a tax-deductible gift of $100 or more (or less!) today by donating through our website at http://www.saratogamuseum.org and clicking on the "Donations" link in the left menu bar.

You may also send a check to: USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc., PO Box 28581, Providence, RI 02908. Credit card donations may be called in to (401) 831-8696, or faxed to (401) 831-8707.

And, while we need all the cash we can get to pay for the engineering and economic analysis, we are certainly prepared to accept pledges contingent on the actual donation of the ship by the Navy.

If estate planning is on your mind at this time of year, please consider our tax-exempt project as one of your options. A gift of a charitable remainder trust, for example, would offer significant tax benefits while you are still alive.

Please become part of our group of thoughtful, committed citizens trying to change the world. Please also pass this e-mail along to friends who might also wish to join such a group. For more information about our project or to check on volunteer opportunities, please visit our website at http://www.saratogamuseum.org.

Thank you again for your help and support thus far. We wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and all the best for the New Year.

Sincerely,

Frank Lennon
President, USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc.
401-831-8696

Last Updated:
12/29/03