Guest Editorial: The Little Building That Could…

Putting the final touches on the beautiful wood floor in the Upstairs Gallery

–by Madie Murray,
Olga Strawberry Council Board Member–

There’s no time like the present when the present is all you have. It’s a horrible time to be asking for money with Holiday and year-end expenses and obligations still lingering, tax-deductible requirements not needing to be made until the end of this year and Federal taxes due in April, yet here we are doing just that.

As of this writing, we are about a third of the way toward our $30,000 “Push to Complete” goal in order to receive a $30,000 matching donation to help complete the restoration of the Artworks Building. The community has responded with donations as far away as Delaware and as close as Olga, and we are truly humbled and grateful.

I wish we had a gimmick or something inventive we could give as a reward for your generosity, but all we can offer is the promise of a beautifully restored historical building once again sharing art and cuisine with the community who saw it rise from the ashes and be whole again.

We have made a commitment to our tenants to finish the restoration of the Artworks Building by the end of February so they can start moving in during March and be ready to open again to our wonderful community and the World some time in April. We intend to keep it…and we shamelessly need your help to keep us honest.

There are several ways to give a fully tax-deductible donation: through the Community Foundation (OICF) where we have established a Building Fund account, or with a check made out to the Olga Strawberry Council (OSC) sent directly to PO Box 214, Olga, WA 98279, or through our web site at www.olgastrawberrycouncil.org utilizing PayPal.

Whichever way you choose, we hope that when you walk through its doors again you will feel as proud as we do of the little building that did…with a lot of help from its friends.