Year-End Appeal 2020

Last winter, in the first, anxious days of what we’d soon understand was a global pandemic, certain phrases began to dominate our landscape. “Out of an abundance of caution” was an early candidate for phrase of the year. Since then, we’ve added “essential workers,” “physical distancing,” and “contact tracing.” Far beyond the new language, we have had to learn to adapt more swiftly to more changes than at any time in our lives. But perhaps the most critical thing we have learned is to not take anything for granted — health, safety, social justice, employment, the natural world of which we are a part, and most importantly, love.

We understand what GRATITUDE really means.

We are grateful to the thousands of people – many first-time visitors – who came to hike at Teatown throughout the spring, summer, and fall, seeking fresh air and the relief of being outdoors. You are an essential part of our growing Teatown community.

Among those for whom we’re especially grateful in this season is Scott Mason. Scott is a long-time Teatown member, and an award-winning haiku poet. He led a program at Teatown on looking at nature the haiku way in 2019. This fall, Scott reached out to us with news of a newly published volume of haiku that he had edited: Gratitude in the Time of COVID-19 – The Haiku Hecameron. It’s a compilation of haiku from 100 contemporary poets in more than 30 countries and six continents, all written this year at what was then the height of the pandemic.

In a poignant gesture of kindness, Scott offered to donate 100 copies of his book to Teatown. We were moved by the poetry and humbled by this expression of gratitude for us.

And so, as a token of our gratitude for your ongoing support of Teatown in this uncertain and challenging time, we wish to offer Scott’s gift to you. We will send this lovely volume to the first 100 people who make a donation of $100 or more during our 2020 year-end appeal.

Your donation – in whatever amount – is vitally important to us, helping us continue to maintain our 15 miles of trails, protect our 1,000 acres, and offer environmental education programs virtually and outdoors, to children, adults, and families. We are forever grateful. Without your support, Teatown would not exist.

Kindest regards,

Kevin Carter
Executive Director

If you are the age of 70 ½ or older, you may want to consider making a tax-free charitable donation to Teatown Lake Reservation through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). A QCD is a direct transfer of funds up to $100,000 annually directly from a traditional IRA (or Roth IRA), payable to qualified charities. In addition to the benefits of giving to charities you care deeply about, you can use QCDs to satisfy your annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your retirement account. Please contact your tax professional to further discuss your eligibility.

Teatown Lake Reservation is a 501 (C) (3) charitable organization; your donation is fully tax deductible as specified by IRS laws.