Consider a Gift to Avalonia this Year
General Appeal 2019
Let’s face it, climate change is happening now.
We all have been reading the same headlines over the past few months:
- The Amazon—the “lungs of the Earth”— is burning.
- Scientists have been underestimating the pace of climate change.
- Changing climate threatens global food and water supplies.
- Connecticut is one of the fastest warming states in the U.S.
All these headlines are disturbing, especially the news about our state being among the fastest warming in the US. In fact, southeastern Connecticut is one of two “hot-spots” in CT that have already warmed 2° Centigrade due in part to a warming Gulf Stream, now flowing slower and closer to the coast. The good news is that Avalonia has been working hard for 50+ years to protect land and water resources on behalf of us all.
Land and water are increasingly valuable resources. Large swaths of undeveloped forests keep us healthier by filtering our drinking water and sequestering our carbon emissions. When left undisturbed, these lands keep us safer by providing a buffer against steadily rising sea levels and increasingly damaging storms. Our woodlands and core forests keep land and water cool even as global temperatures rise and they provide unfragmented habitat for wildlife, too.
As one of Avalonia’s supporters and/or neighbors, you understand the role we are playing in conserving your area’s most environmentally significant lands. To the many who have given in the past, thank you. To those who love our land, but have not donated, please consider a gift to the Avalonia Land Conservancy this year.
We have protected over 4000 acres of land so far and accelerated our pace of acquisition to help offset climate change. Each wooded acre captures 106 metric tons of carbon per year. By the end of 2019, we’ll protect an additional 240 acres once slated for a major housing development. But we can’t do this without the generous support of donors and members like you. (Your gift is even more important this year due to the changes in tax laws.) Please be as generous as you can; we appreciate your help.
Here are several actions you can take to support Avalonia:
- Visit our donation page to make your gift. Consider signing up for a monthly or quarterly donation or make a multiyear pledge
- Consider a legacy gift by naming Avalonia as a beneficiary of your estate or appreciated assets. Are you 70½? Make a distribution gift from your IRA.
- Match your gift through an employer or an association.
- If you shop through Amazon.com, consider signing up for smile.amazon.com and name Avalonia as the charity you support.
- Spread the word to family and friends; try the “Create a Fundraiser” button on Facebook as a way to give over the holidays.
- Do you bank with Charter Oak Federal Credit Union? If so, they’ll match your donation up to $500 through November 27. Go to their website and enter “matching gifts program” into their search.
Yes, these headlines make us anxious, sad, and even angry. They also move us to fight even harder to protect our environment in every way we can.
With deepest appreciation,
Chuck Toal
Director of Development, Avalonia Land Conservancy
c.toal@avalonialc.org
P.S. The fight against climate change starts at home. Our forests are the lungs of Connecticut. Please be as generous as you can. Donate to Avalonia today.
