Dear
Friend of WVCPA,
As
the Holiday season is now underway, we are reminded of the heartfelt gratitude
that we have for each and every one of you that are making the West Virginia
Cemetery Preservation Association a reality. Thank
you for standing with us in the work of WVCPA this past year. Because of
your support, we now have over fifty full or partial cemetery photo surveys
listed on our web site with another fifty in the works that we will be posting
over the next several months. In addition, we now have gathered over
8,000 photos of tombstones, cemeteries and historic churches in West Virginia.
The work has just begun, yet it is also well underway.
We
know our efforts haven't been in vain. The number of hits on our website
is increasing exponentially, and this past year we have responded to over two
hundred and seventy-five email requests for help or information regarding
community, church or family cemeteries.
Typical
of the emails we receive are the following:
"Thanks
very much for your help and all your efforts",
"We are losing so many small cemeteries to neglect",
"God bless you both."
One
reader wrote:
"I
was looking for a map of Given, WV, and stumbled upon your site. I
started to check it out. I knew my relatives were from Given and
buried in that cemetery. I was so delighted when I found you had take
pictures of the headstones. It really made my day."
As
you consider your year-end charitable giving, we strongly urge you to support
the work and mission of the West Virginia Cemetery Preservation
Association. Your tax-deductible gifts will allow us to continue our
work and expand our efforts in 2005.
Donna
and I can't begin to thank you enough for your support and encouragement this
past year. In conversation with you, and in your letters and email, the
words of appreciation you give to us help us to continue on, knowing our work
is appreciated. Together we can make a difference in preserving these
treasures of West Virginia's past for future generations!
Sincerely,
Joel
and Donna Duprey
Co-Founders
West Virginia Cemetery Preservation Association, Inc.
