Dear Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer Organization member.

I am Barbara Willy , your volunteer Director of Development & Fundraising. At our next BBSPVO budget and executive meeting, I will be proposing the VO purchase an automated entrance gate for a cost of $15,000. The money is available in VO savings now but I am also proposing an online public Silent Auction, for which I am willing to collect donations this summer to raise enough money to cover the expenditure. Gulf Coast Bird Observatory does a yearly Silent Auction that is successful & profitable for them.

If enough members vote to replace the gate, our volunteer organization will be granted the ability to advertise to park visitors at the front entrance for a period of 3-5 years, just as a corporate sponsor would. We intend to raise funds with this advertising in the form of a non-voting, non-VO trained membership group which will donate money in return for membership. Every 500 memberships to this group will generate approximately $76,000 that can be spent on improvements to the park.

Sometimes as we go about our daily volunteer duties, we lose sight of the big picture planning for the future that must also be part of our organization. Spending such a sum may cause some hesitation , as it should, but keep in mind ,we are currently in negotiations to convince TPWD that our organization is capable of fundraising enough money to build a new $10M Environmental Education Center. One way to achieve that goal is to fundraise for smaller projects and document those successes as examples of what we can do.

I ask you to please join me and cast your vote in favor of the $15,000 purchase of an automated gate for the front entrance of BBSP.

My Sincerest Thanks for Your Support,

Barbara Willy