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AFGS
Building Fund Update
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Web site building fund update February 14, 2008
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The AFGS Building Fund has reached $230,000 in donations and pledges. This leaves us about $20,000 shy of the half way mark in our Phase II goal of $500,000.
Since acquiring the building in late November 2007, the society has begun transforming our permanent home from a church to a Franco-American heritage center. Our first task was to repair the main section of the roof, which had three layers on one side and two on the other. There were leaks in the sanctuary of the church (and what eventually will be the main research center.) The cost: $32,498.
Next we will update the fire alarm system. In order to comply with Rhode Island’s strict fire codes, the Society must increase the number of smoke detectors and other detection and alarm devices, emergency lights and exit lights on all three floors. We also must replace the hard-wired alarm box with a radio-box that will have direct communications with the Woonsocket Fire Department. We expect to seek bids for this project soon. We will then concentrate on making our building more accessible to all visitors.
The building committee and the board of directors are reviewing every room in the building to determine repair and/or renovation costs in order to determine naming rights for designated rooms in the building and the determine project costs as we seek grants from foundations and corporations. We expect to publish a “wish list” to make it convenient for members and friends to designate the purchase of furnishings and accessories for our heritage center.
We could not have made it this far without the generosity of our members and friends. We invite you to visit this Web site often for updates as we develop a master plan for the creation of a state-of-the-art Franco-American heritage center. The committee welcomes your input. You may e-mail your comments and suggestions to buildingfund@afgs.com.
The AFGS Building Fund Committee
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Photo Album of our recently acquired Building also new roof being installed(use slide show)
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Woonsocket Call newspaper article Nov. 27th 2007
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Providence Journal November 28th, 2007
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The Valley Breeze newspaper article Nov. 29th 2007
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French take over Church
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Step Up For Society
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"The AFGS will fill out new facility, complete extensive renovations "
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September
21, 2007 |
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Negotiations
are proceeding smoothly toward our goal
of purchasing the building in which we
currently rent space in the First
Universalist Church in Woonsocket, R.I.
We hope to announce good news soon. |
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Meanwhile,
it has been a very good summer on the
donation front. Since mid-July,
96 members and friends donated $13,602
dollars to the building fund campaign.
To date, $78,223 has been donated and
pledged since Phase II of the campaign
began on April 1, 2007. In total,
since the building fund began the AFGS
has collected nearly $200,000 in
donations and pledges. But we need
much more in the coffers to both
purchase a building and make any
necessary repairs and renovations to
convert it into a Franco American
Cultural Center. If you have not
yet done so, won’t you please consider
making a donation today? |
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Donating
is easy and secure here on our Web site.
To access the donation pledge form, simply
click here now. |
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Thank
you for your support. |
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July
08, 2007 |
| During the past
ten weeks, over 100 generous members and friends donated or pledged
over $40,000 to the campaign. Donations and pledges are continuing to come in weekly. We are very grateful for the commitments that our members and friends have made to our Society and their belief in our vision for the future. |
| On May 20, the First Universalist Church voted to sell their building, which is also home to AFGS. The Society has been given the right of first refusal to purchase the building. Once the congregation obtains an appraisal we will begin discussions about the possible purchase. The congregation has indicated that they plan to have the appraisal completed by the end of July and would like to close the sale by the end of September. |
| Given this tight timetable, it is more important than ever that we step up the campaign. It is critical that we have as much capital available as possible should the negotiations turn out favorably for AFGS. That would mean that we may be able to purchase the building and move forward with our vision for our Society. |
| If you have not already done so, won’t you please send in your pledge or donation today? You can download a pledge card from our Web site,
www.afgs.org, or donate directly on our secure Web page. If you have questions about the campaign, contact Norm
Deragon, the AFGS Building Fund chair, by e-mail at
buildingfund@afgs.org, or by phone at (401) 524-7315. |
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May
7, 2007 |
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| Donations
to Phase II of the AFGS Building Fund
campaign have been arriving steadily. As
of Saturday, May 12, a total of 90 cash
donations and pledges have been received
for a total of $33,624. |
| On
May 7, interest was posted to the two
building fund bank accounts. As of that
date, the AFGS Building Fund total
(Phases I and II) was $133,942.50. |
| The
board of directors and building fund
committee express their sincere
appreciation for the support of our
members and others who have contributed
so generously to the campaign. |
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Honor Roll of Donors will soon be posted
on the Web site and will be posted in
the library and distributed through the
Society newsletter. |
| On
May 20 our landlord, the First
Universalist Church, will hold its
annual meeting. On the agenda is a
discussion by the congregation on
whether to sell the church building. The
AFGS was given the right of first
refusal on the purchase should the
church decide to sell. We will keep you
posted on any developments. |
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April
17, 2007 |
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Phase II of the AFGS Building Fund campaign is entering its third week. The AFGS Building Fund Committee is very pleased to announce that as of Saturday, April 14, donations and pledges received since April 1 total $14,778. Forty-two individuals have made donations and/or pledges to the fund.
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During the first week ending Saturday, April 7, we received donations and pledges totaling $3,784 with 21 one-time donations of $1,468, and 2 pledges totaling $2,316 to be paid over three years and one year.
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During week 2, we received 19 donations totaling $10,994. There were 15 one-time donations totaling $6,230, including a very generous $5,000 donation from the Savoie Family Foundation. Four pledges totaled $4,764.
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The committee is compiling an Honor Roll of Building Fund Donors to Phases I and II of the campaign. We will be publishing this list and posting it on the Web site in the near future.
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On behalf of the board of directors, the committee extends its deepest appreciation to all who have supported this campaign to date.
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American
French Genealogical Society |
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Building
Fund Campaign |
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| Please join us by making a generous contribution to the campaign. The on-line
brochure
reviews AFGS and its commitment to |
| "Preserving
our Past...Building our Future". |
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Click
on How You Can Help
for information on the different ways you can
help with this goal. By donating, you will help establish a permanent home for our Society to grow and prosper. |
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| Keep in mind that critical decisions about our future will be made in the coming weeks. We need your support now to make certain that the Society can continue its important work. |
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| Please download the
pledge card and mail it today, or
Pledge online Either way you will help the AFGS in |
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"Preserving our Past…and Building our
Future". |
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