Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society
P.O. Box 47, Bellport, New York 11713
www.bbhsmusem.org

December 1,2006

Dear Fellow Society Members and Friends;

This is the fourth annual President's letter that I am writing on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Historical Society and Museum. We are sending this letter to all our membership and to everyone who generously supported us by attending any of the gala opening nights of our special museum exhibitions of the past four years.

In my first President's letter to you three years ago I wrote that the Society was launching a major new development program with four goals: to make our financial situation more secure, to lay the groundwork for a permanent curator, to improve the quality of the seven historic structures in our care, and to generate more programs and exhibitions for the benefit of the entire community. Let me review where we stand with these goals.

Financial Situation
In the recent past our operating expenses consisted of three roughly equal components: utilities, insurance, and everything else. Our regular income came from four roughly equal sources: members' dues, Exchange Shop sales, the annual Champagne Party, and donations from those who used our buildings, Over the past several years, utilities and insurance costs have skyrocketed and our operating expenses have more than doubled. To meet the goal of making our financial situation more secure, the Trustees have worked hard to keep the operating budget in balance. We have expanded our membership, given members additional opportunities for financial contributions, and replaced the Champagne Party with an Annual Gala to mark the opening night of a significant exhibition in the Barn Museum, We realize however, that for long term growth and financial viability, we have to do more. We are currently developing a corporate fundraising plan to develop more financial resources, while still depending on our traditional sources, you, our members and friends.

Curator
We achieved our second goal two years ago when we hired a professional curator to preserve and document our museum collections and to curate and mount special exhibits. Our curator, Dolores O'Connor, is documenting and preserving our collections to the highest professional standards, ably assisted by a team of volunteers.

The monies to fund the curator position were generated by the opening night galas of our first three special exhibits: The Gruccis of Bellport: A Retrospective (2003), As Time Goes By: Remembering Ingrid Bergman (2004), and Hidden Treasures of the Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society (2005), by special contributions from the general membership, and by very special contributions from some very good friends of the Society. These exhibits were followed in 2006 by our fourth exhibit, 100 Years on the Bay, and for 2007 we are already working on an exhibit of nationally known late 19th and early 20th century artists who painted scenes of Bellport and Brookhaven.

Preserving the Society's Historic Structures
While our operating funds provide for normal maintenance, we had no surplus funds for the major restorations which old structures are always in need of. Through a special fund drive we air conditioned the Barn Museum, which made our summer exhibits viable. We are developing a naming opportunity program by which a donor can provide funds for upgrading or endowing a building or room, which can then be named by the donor.

More immediately, however, we identified a serious need for preservation of the Brown Building a project which would require five years of our total annual budget. As part of our plan to find additional funding opportunities, one of our Trustees pursued government grants for the preservation of important historical buildings. We have already received a grant which has enabled us to go ahead and restore the foundation of the building and straighten its sagging walls. We have an experienced Trustee leading the construction project and the architect for the project is Edward Knowles of Bellport and New York City. As we continue to obtain grants and receive donations, we plan to repair the exterior of the building and to develop the interior to provide a variety of facilities. This leads me to our fourth goal.

Community Programs
We are well underway with this goal through the special museum exhibits we have mounted for the past four summers. This greater visibility in the community has gained us increased financial support. As this support increases, we must do more for the community through additional education programs and exhibits. We want to bring the riches of our museum and our historical buildings to an ever increasing population of visitors. To that end, we are seeking major private endowments for educational programs.

As you can see, we have developed four funding sources, each aimed at a specific project: private endowments to expand our community outreach; government grants and naming opportunities for the major restoration and preservation needs of our buildings; yearly galas to support our curatorial program; and finally, the generosity of our members to support our ever increasing operating expenses. Won't you help? Please renew your existing membership; please join the Society if you are not already a member. We enclose an envelope for your convenience.

The Society operates entirely through the generous contribution of time, effort, and financial support by our membership and other friends. Any dues and other financial contributions you make are 100% tax-deductible and 100% of those funds go to operating the museum complex. We especially want to thank the volunteers who have so unselfishly given of their time for the Exchange Shop, the Barn Museum, and the Post-Crowell Historic House. Finally, we wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year, and we look forward to seeing you as our guests at our holiday party, 5 to 7:30 PM on Sunday, December 10th in the Brown Building. We will sing carols, mingle with our friends, enjoy food and drink, and auction off our decorated holiday tree.

I can say with greater conviction than ever, the Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society is worthy of your support.

Sincerely,

Carol K. Bleser

Carol K. Bleser, President

P.S. We send the President's letter to our Life Members to keep them informed of our progress and to provide them with a convenient envelope to use if they wish to make a year end gift.