Society of Color Bearers

2022 Society of Color Bearers Proud donors to the N-SSA

By Wayne Jordan, Charitable Giving Committee

Welcome back Fellow Skirmishers to the warm spring weather and a normalized year of skirmishing. It is great to be back to Ft Shenandoah and the other various ranges shooting black powder with our friends. As much as we enjoy the sport and lifestyle of a skirmisher, the N-SSA is a going concern and its financial needs must always be taken care of. Hundreds of our fellow skirmishers have stepped up in recent years to donate money to the N-SSA. This has made a big difference in our budget and brought about improvements to bathrooms, the Historical Center, the shooting range, and many other projects. But there are many more projects remaining that will benefit our members and need funding. Remember, no donation is too small or too large. Here is a list of some of our top priorities right now: 1. Batwing hedgehog/lawnmower – This was purchased for $15,000 recently. Donations have covered over half of that cost, but it has put a dent in the budget. The equipment was needed in order to properly 2. Maintain our home range, but we still need to raise money to pay for it. Pictured is the new Batwing attached to the tractor ready to go to work. 3. Bathroom Facilities – We’ve used up just about all the money raised for the upgrading and renovation of the bathroom 4. Facilities by the Pistol Range and the Stat Shack. Tim Scanlan, Property Manager, says he’d like to move on to other 5. Bathrooms if money is made available for the work. Also, it is still hoped that more teams will adopt a bathroom facility and spruce it up (inside and/or out), as a few teams have done in Areas 3 and 4. We will do our best to make funds available for

any team that steps up. We need several thousand dollars now to replenish the fund. 6. Executive Secretary Office/Small Arms Office – Also known as the Hocker-Hughes Building at the end of the bridge leading to the Main Range, it is shared by both of those offices. This building carries large amounts of foot traffic each National, and many skirmishers come to these offices to visit the Executive

Secretary or the Small Arms Committee to deal with a multitude of issues. The building needs an ADA compliant ramp to be built to take people up to the entrances (which are high to avoid flooding). To meet

ADA specifications the ramp much be much longer than you’d imagine, and that will cost thousands of dollars for lumber and other materials. 7. Road Repairs – There are a couple miles of roads in Ft Shenandoah plus parking lots. It takes tens of thousands of dollars per year just to keep up with minimal maintenance, repairs, and repaving. A section of the parking lot by the Barn was recently paved and we can all see what difference it makes. Tim Scanlan says that he’d love to give you better roads to drive on to the degree that he can gain funding to do so. 8. General Fund – As important as it is to address the projects listed above, the General Fund is the most important of all. Unrestricted funds can be allocated as the Board sees appropriate to address the greatest needs at any given time.

At this time we ask all skirmishers to evaluate their financial position and, if practical, please consider contributing to any of the aforementioned projects to strengthen the N-SSA. We know that for many skirmishers it may not be practical to allocate more money to skirmishing, but for those who are at that point in life where they have the resources to share with their favorite nonprofit organizations, I hope you’ll make the N-SSA one of your top

priorities. In the last couple of years over 10% of our fellow members have donated, and that number is growing each year. Also, be sure to sign up for Amazon Smile and a little bit of your online purchase will come back to us. Check with your employer about matching grants. Use your IRA distributions (if you are over 70 ½) and get significant tax breaks for your donations. Recently people have donated shares of stock or mutual funds. Other skirmishers are remembering the N-SSA in their wills, or through their trusts. You can set up a regular monthly donation if that works well for you. There are lots of ways to donate to the N-SSA. Keep in mind that this is a 501 c 3 nonprofit and donations are eligible to be deducted on your tax returns. For more information about charitable giving and tax benefits there are nonprofit organizations that exist for purposes of helping people evaluate charitable organizations and explain various giving strategies and tax benefits. You can find one of the prominent organizations on the internet at charitynavigator.com. Go to their page and click on Tips for Donors to review useful information about charitable giving, tax benefits, etc. For your convenience, a return envelope is included in the centerfold of this edition of the Skirmish Line. Or donations can be sent to N-SSA, c/o Wayne Jordan, 8606 Eagle Glen Terrace, Fairfax Station, Va 22039. I can be reached at wvjordan@aol.com, or by phone at 703-407-2445 to further discuss any of the issues addressed above. Thank you all for your support, and Happy Skirmishing!

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