Dear Fellow Dames,

Are you aware that only 29% of Americans can name the first three Presidents of the United States? Statistics like this remind us why the Burgwin-Wright House matters.

Your 1770 Headquarters House is much more than a beautiful Georgian town home filled with awe-inspiring objects. We teach history here.

One of our most important educational programs is “People of the Past”, which we provide free of charge every year for every fourth grader in the New Hanover County School System. During their field trip to the site, students learn what life was like during the colonial era for women, children and enslaved persons, as well as the upper class. They also learn about the injustices of the colonial legal system that led to the creation of the Bill of Rights.

As a NC Dame you can take pride in knowing that the tradition of serving school children dates back to 1952, only one year after the museum opened its doors. It is also worth noting that were it not for People of the Past, a good number of the students we serve would not have the ability to visit a museum of any kind.

As the population has grown here in Wilmington, so has the number of students who come through our doors. Last year we hosted more than 2,500 fourth graders!

It is wonderful that People of the Past is having an ever increasing impact on our local youth. However, the cost of providing the program is also increasing, because more staff time is required. Additionally, since the museum is closed during People of the Past, we lose more and more revenue from regular tours.

Funding from New Hanover County Schools is not an option. They are already hard-pressed to pay for the students' transportation. On the other hand, we suspect that NC Dames would prefer to continue this proud tradition and retain ownership of the program. Therefore, we are reaching out to every member of the Society and asking for a donation of $24 to sponsor four students for the upcoming 2019 program.

Please help us continue this valuable program by donating today using the link below. The deadline for donations is August 30.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Mary M. Gornto, Chair
Headquarters House Committee

SPONSOR FOURTH GRADERS

We are so grateful to the following Dames who have generously contributed:
As of August 27, 2019