Endowment Fund Information

November 2006

Dear Members and Friends,
  Thank you for sharing our vision and supporting our dream: to preserve and present the history of our communities, the values of our forebears and the experiences and events that have shaped our township. During this last year, nine donors have stepped up to the plate and given to our new foundation. Thanks to them, we have reached our initial goal of $10,000. We now move on to our next hurdle, $50,000 in the next five years. With our enthusiastic membership, who has decided to serve by keeping our history for future generations, we know that this is doable and we are eager to share tax-saving strategies and giving plans with you.

  We have established a fine Town Hall museum; a community center, preserved an early church, restored the Dunham House and helped renovate the W & LE Depot. Our programs are aimed at giving our children a sense of our joint history and over three hundred children were given tours last year. We also strive to provide intelligent and entertaining lectures and classes for our adult membership with the exciting Lyceum offerings and our Old Ways night school. We are a family-friendly, education supported, social group that hopes to live on and continue its mission. Your annual support in dues and participation in several fundraisers has allowed us to maintain our efforts and grow with new displays, artifacts, a 12,000-volume library and most recently, a $675,000 renovation that both beautifies our holdings and provides handicapped accessibility to our main museum.

  Last year, we created a partnership with the Cleveland Foundation, which can ensure our continuing success well into the future. We encourage you to consider our endowment in your estate planning. In addition to the satisfaction achieved by giving generously, you can help our community benefit in this new millennium and explore tax benefits in your estate planning. These are complex issues that need an expert's knowledge and advice. We are planning several informational get-togethers; we hope you will be able to attend. Cleveland Foundation representatives, as well as the society's foundation committee will be on hand to answer your questions. We will be contacting you personally, with more information.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,
Jack Ulman, chair
The Bedford Historical Society
Endowment Committee

  The Endowment Committee: Mr. Jack Ulman, The Hon. Holsey G. Handyside, Mr. James Hukill, Mr. Garth McAdoo, Mr. Virgil Ridgway, Mr. Edmund Romito, Mr. Bert Zahn
In cooperation with The Cleveland Foundation1422 Euclid Ave, Suite 1300 Cleveland OH 44115-2001