The Friends are thrilled to report that we are off to a great start with our fundraising efforts in 2021. On December 16th we announced that longtime hiker and CMC member Gale K. funded a $5000 challenge grant for the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower project. With the generous support of numerous donors, the match was met In just four weeks! The resulting $10000 plus a $5000 foundation grant reported in this newsletter will allow us to order an engineering report, which is necessary for moving our project forward, and other things including promotional materials and fundraising merchandise.
Many thanks to Gale and to each of the donors who stepped up to secure the match.
A matching gift challenge!
‘Tis the season of giving and the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower have been blessed with the gift of a matching grant of $5,000 from Gale K, a local hiker and FOBMFT supporter. Every dollar contributed by January 31st, will be matched dollar for dollar from the grant, doubling its impact, so with your help, we can make that $10,000! The Friends is an all-volunteer organization so your donation will go solely towards rebuilding the tower.
Donate to help build the tower and double your impact!
Imagine the newly restored fire tower sitting on top of Bramley Mountain, with 360° views of the western Catskills! The Bramley Mountain Trail, opened in 2016, already draws thousands of hikers every year. Besides enhancing a great hiking destination right in our backyard, the Fire Tower will help draw thousands of new visitors to the Catskills, boosting local businesses and communities in the process.
Along with the five other trails built by our friends at the Catskill Mountain Club, the Bramley Mountain Trail has inspired some never before and some lapsed hikers to get out and enjoy the beauty, peacefulness and health benefits our area has to offer. The CMC has received numerous comments from hikers about how these trails have encouraged them to get in better shape, take up hiking, and even introduce others to this very beneficial activity. A fire tower on Bramley Mountain is sure to motivate even more members of our community to lace up their boots, get outside and get moving. And it will draw more visitors to our area!
Won’t you help us meet this challenge? With your generous donation, we can gain $10,000 towards rebuilding the tower. Any donation will be appreciated! And doubled! Together, we can make this happen!
To help the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower move this restoration project forward, click on Support the Project above. You can give using Venmo, Apple Pay or Google Pay using the Smartphone Donating link above.
Please help us with your donation now!
We’ll see you at the top!
Happy trails,
Ann Roberti
President, Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower
Note:
Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower is a not for profit, 501c(3) corporation. As such, all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower is also registered with the NYS Charities Bureau Registry. After year end 2020, you will be able to request a copy of our most recently filed financial report from the Charities Bureau Registry on the New York Attorney General’s website, (https://www.charitiesnys.com/)
The CARES Act passed by Congress last spring allows people who only take the standard deduction to claim an additional deduction of up to $300 for gifts to charitable organizations. Previously, charitable contributions could be deducted only if taxpayers itemized their deductions.
The CARES Act contains another incentive, this one for taxpayers age 70½ or older, who may make a qualified charitable distribution from their IRA (up to $100,000) directly to an eligible charity. It’s generally a nontaxable distribution made to a charitable organization that counts toward their minimum distribution requirement for the year.
Information from the IRS about these CARES Act provisions may be found here.