November 29, 2011

Dear Friend of Birdsong,

On the day I received Carole Hayes’s end-of-year letter of appeal for Birdsong Nature Center I was making a batch of cranberry muffins, so Birdsong was on my mind, and when the muffins cooled I thought I would take some down the road to share with the staff. My head was full of everything I had read in Carole’s letter as I got out a gallon size Zip-Lock bag – the kudzu control project, the weekly natural history programs, the newly cleared Linton’s Corner, the ambitious fund-raising plans. Plop, plop, plop, into the bag I dropped three muffins.

Then it struck me: I could hold in the palm of one hand enough cranberry muffins to feed the entire staff of Birdsong Nature Center. In a way, the sight of those pitiful muffins made Birdsong’s plight clearer than anything I had read in Carole’s letter.

I thought back to my visits at Birdsong over the year. I remembered a day in early spring seeing that beat-up 1958 John Deere tractor come roaring out of the smoke, Kathleen perched on the seat with her hair tied up in a rag – she needed more water, more beaters – the fire had gotten into the Holly Woods. I remembered a land management tour in the summer, hearing a sound like giants rattling boulders around in 50 gallon drums – Chuck was clearing Linton’s Corner with the bush hog. I remembered a lovely evening in the fall in the front yard of the house, everything just so – delicious food, beautiful flower arrangements, all put together by Birdsong’s staff and volunteers.

Birdsong projects a kind of understated dignity in its public image. It comes across in Kathleen’s elegant nature writing in every newsletter: no melodrama, no trite sentiment, no cute anthropomorphic animal stories. Carole Hayes’s letter reflects that understatement too, in her use of the passive voice: “trails are being maintained,” “brush has been cleared,” “an access ramp was built”. But there is nothing passive about the workings of Birdsong Nature Center. The hard work of this 565 acre nature preserve – land management, public relations, bookkeeping, event planning – is all done by three overworked staff people and a handful of faithful volunteers getting the most out of every dime.

Three little muffins is not enough. Please remember Birdsong Nature Center when you make your end of 2011 financial plans.

Sincerely yours,

June Bailey White
Past President and Plant Sale Chair

 
P.S. Birdsong is a 501(c)3 corporation, so your gift is entirely tax-deductible. Please check with your bank or credit card company for a monthly deduction program, which can make a monthly gift automatic. Your business may have a matching gift program that can enable you to increase the value of your contribution.

Every gift matters; every gift is a vote of support. We deeply appreciate your participation.

If you would like to make a donation to Birdsong, please see our Donations page for information.

 
You may also enjoy reading others of June's beautifully written letters. Below is a list from which 2011-2014 appeal letters can be selected.

2015 Annual Appeal Letter, Birdsong's 30th year and the embryo forest.

2014 Annual Appeal Letter, a story of community and an iconic Shortleaf pine tree.

2013 Annual Appeal Letter and the story of the persevering Louis Philippe rose.

2012 Annual Appeal Letter, the story of early Birdsong scientists and the lesson of the wood storks.

2011 Annual Appeal Letter and the story of the three little cranberry muffins.