Dear ALSCW Member,
I write from the Adirondack mountains in NY on a very rainy August day to report on the Meringoff matching fund drive and to ask your continued support. As you will recall, Stephen J. Meringoff has again pledged this year to match $13,500 raised from the membership to support any aspect of the association, including the operating expenses of the office. This is an extraordinary pledge, not only for the evidence it offers of Mr. Meringoff’s ongoing generosity, but also for its recognition of the importance—and cost—of the infrastructure that keeps the organization functioning. These are the hardest kinds of funds to raise and through the matching gift Mr. Meringoff has pledged we have the chance to see our dollars go twice as far in an area where they are sorely needed.
In the few months since the drive started, we have raised close to 60% of the funds. This amount has come from a small percentage of the membership. If those of you who have not yet given were to give something now, and if those of you who gave already were to give a little more, we would certainly approach if not exceed our goal. The council has shown tremendous leadership in this effort, raising 10% of the total before the drive began and, recently, doubling that amount through a second round of contributions. I ask you to consider joining them in their generosity.
We are setting a deadline of September 15, 2013, to report to Mr. Meringoff and, we trust, show our success. Please consider giving at any level to this important campaign. Donations can be made through the website at http://alscw.org/donate/donate-now/index.html, by credit card, or by check.
Thank you very much.
With all best wishes,
Sarah Spence
Distinguished Research Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature
University of Georgia
President, Association of Literary Scholars, Critics, and Writers