The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Historic Rosedale hard. We have been unable to give house tours – our main source of revenue. Rentals have cancelled and we can’t make new appointments. Nor can we orchestrate our popular programs. In short, we have lost what was steady income while expenses have continued.
We have already taken fiscally necessary and socially responsible measures;
- We have furloughed our historic interpreters and blacksmiths.
- Our office staff hours have been slashed to the bare minimum.
- Clients have postponed and/or cancelled events.
- Our leadership has applied for the Payroll Protection Plan, but we have no news.
This may not be enough. Historic Rosedale is known for accomplishing a lot with very little. However, without revenue streams we will falter:
- Grounds maintenance will be nonexistent. Our greenspace will become overgrown and unmanageable, losing years of careful restoration and cultivation.
- Our highly qualified and dedicated employees, one of the strongest teams we’ve assembled to date, may be dismissed.
- Expenses for utilities, security, insurance, maintenance, house and grounds, and preservation continue to roll in.
We need your help. We are precariously close to utilizing all our available funds. In the past six weeks, we have exhausted the unrestricted funds (monies not designated for a specific purpose) available to us. In order to continue as the caretakers of Charlotte’s oldest frame house and her nine acres, a responsibility we take very seriously, we must raise $30,000 to cover our basic expenses for two months.
Our mission is resolute. What we do is essential to the cultural heritage of the community. Thomas Jefferson said “a morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to always be valuable.” Your donation, no matter the amount, will have real value. Your donation will assure history in Charlotte is not lost.
Be safe and we wish you good health.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Spada, President, Board of Directors
Deborah A. Hunter, Executive Director
