Ashland Emergency FundQuietly providing hope to those in need. |
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*Kindness in words creates confidence *Kindness in thinking creates profoundness *Kindness in giving creates love. -- Lao-Tzu |
AEF News 2006 JuneAshland Emergency Fund Stabilizes But Revenues Do Not Meet NeedIn 2004, AEF revenues crashed because the primary source of funds for the organization – the Friday night Bingo - ran out of steam; the No Smoking Law caused a dramatic drop in attendance, profits fell to zero. The No Smoking Law’s a good law, but it has had bad consequences for the AEF Bingo. In response to the revenue crash, the Board of the AEF dramatically changed its spending activities in the fall of 2005. Every request for funds is now reviewed for ability to pay - bank balances are weighed against need. Large requests for assistance have been denied and the requesting parties have been directed to other resources, typically state and/or federal government resources. It has worked; bank balances for the fund have for the moment stabilized. But, the consequence is that 1 - neighbors in need are also not getting help, and 2 – this is happening just when Federal and State Funds are growing smaller every year. The real challenge that the AEF faces is that this looks like a long-term problem. What Next?In order to continue operations as we have in the past, the AEF must generate $70,000 a year. Out of that amount, the AEF regularly receives individual donations of between $20,000 and $25,000 per year. That leaves a shortfall of $50,000 per year. The AEF Board is looking for ways to recover the shortfall and continue operations at the levels we reached three years ago. A recent idea brought forward by Ben Montenegro is the “Dollar a Door” campaign. If every family behind every front door in town (there are about 6,000 front doors) were to donate $1.00 per month every time that they make out their monthly bills, those donations would generate $72,000 a year (6,000 times $1.00 times 12 months). That is more than enough to recover the AEF’s operational activities and to put the fund back on the road to a healthy level of caretaking of the town citizenry. There have to be other good ideas like this one out there. Contact us thru email, if you have an idea that will work for the AEF (see the Contact click in the menu bar – right hand side of the screen). If you can lend a hand as a volunteer, please call or drop in at The Homes Connection at 91 Main Street to talk with John or the Senior Center to talk with Sue. Perhaps you can make a donation to boost our ability to respond to needs; click the Donate Now logo in the top right hand corner of the screen and use your credit card to lend us a hand. Every dollar donated goes to neighbors in need. Nothing is spent on Admin costs; all admin is provided at no cost. Current Status SummarizedAs stated at the beginning of this update, the AEF bank balance has finally stabilized. Though we had been spending more than our revenues for nearly 18 months (hoping that things could be recovered), last fall the Board of Directors voted to dramatically control the giving program. Spending now roughly matches income, but that spend rate represents a 60% drop in our giving ability and we have some neighbors who are losing everything that they have. The AEF is simply not able to step in to help to the same levels that we once could. So that this is unambiguous, the AEF’s operational loss for all of 2005 was $39,657.88. That loss came on top of a loss of $18,384.71 in 2004. That’s an effective $60,000 loss over 18 months (July 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005). Clearly, that kind of losing proposition cannot be sustained. If it were not for two substantial bequests received by the AEF in the late 1990’s, the AEF WOULD BE BROKE AND OUT OF BUSINESS. The FutureThe Future of the AEF lies in the hands of you - the citizens of the Town of Ashland. What is needed??
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