Dear Cooper Center Supporters,

If you know me personally, you know I am a huge sports fan, and I LOVE a good comeback story, and I just witnessed one of the biggest in Camp Cooper history.

At the beginning of the day this past Sunday, we were still $13,000 from our crowdfunding goal, and I was beginning to make plans for if we didn't make it. I even talked with our staff about the effects on our plans for next year. 

Then, we got just the spark we needed. An anonymous donor, who happens to be a longtime supporter of environmental education and science education at Cooper and in other places, put forth a challenge, and you answered. In fact, we blew that challenge out of the water in a rout! We raised almost as much in the last two days as we did in the previous 28 days COMBINED, and while crowdfunding campaigns are notorious for last minute giving, in the four years of Cooper campaigns, there was never a comeback like this.

Even more important is the number of people who gave. Last year, we had 173 donors that helped us raise $31k. This year, we had 233 donors on our way past $33k. Every year, we are able to reach more supporters, and every time we extend ourselves further, more people realize that Camp Cooper is still around, and that we need help.

And we will always need that help. Cooper endures because of public support and because of the valuable role our programs play in science education in our Southern Arizona community. We are enhancing what is taught in the classroom, through providing positive experiences in our wondrous Sonoran Desert and foundational ecological understandings. We are inspiring the next generation of environmentally responsible citizens for our community, and each child leaves Cooper with a desire to live more lightly on our planet.

I'll never be able to thank you enough, and I hope you'll stay in touch. If you're not already receiving our monthly email newsletter, send me a quick note and I will make sure you do. You should also "Like" our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CooperCenter/) and be on the lookout for public events that we will host in the fall. You can come and see our Center and learn about our programs in person. We'll host our annual Desert Foods Fiesta in the morning on October 6th, and a Teacher Appreciation/Donor Recognition event on a Saturday in early November, so mark your calendars.

As we close out our field trip programs for the year, I am once again humbled by your generosity and support. We literally could not do it without you. Thanks again, enjoy your summer, and be sure to revitalize your own connections to nature as well, wherever you may be. Each and every one of us can take personal action for our own health and the health of our planet. On behalf of our staff, student interns, and volunteers, thank you for ensuring that we can provide these essential experiences to the next generation for next program year and beyond.

In Service,

Colin Waite, Director

Cooper Center for Environmental Learning (Camp Cooper)

A partnership of UA College of Education and Tucson Unified School District 

PO Box 210069, Tucson, AZ 85721

PH:  (520) 626-1825 EM:  COE-CooperCenter@email.arizona.edu

Dear Cooper Center Supporters,

With our campaign set to end at midnight this Monday, April 30th, we are barely past halfway to our goal of $30k. Your gift has been critical in getting us this far; now we need your help to spread the word.

Please reach out to family and friends; personal and professional connections, and ask them to #SupportCooperCenter with a gift. Share with them the reasons that you give. Every dollar helps us serve the children of Southern Arizona with our programs, providing key ecological understandings, positive experiences with the wonders of our Sonoran Desert, and inspiration to live more lightly on the earth. Donations can be made, http://crowdfund.arizona.edu/cooper2018. 

Rest assured, if we miss our goal, the Center will still be open for business next school year. However, if we achieve this goal, we will be able to hire more staff, pay them a reasonable salary, and serve even more students.

Thanks so much for your help, and please contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Colin Waite

Director

Cooper Center for Environmental Learning

UA College of Education

PO Box 210069

Tucson, AZ 85721

PH:  (520) 626-1825

EM:  COE-CooperCenter@email.arizona.edu 

Dear Friend of Cooper,

On behalf of the thousands of students we serve with our programs and their amazing classroom teachers, thank you for your support of Cooper Center during our current campaign. We're on track to have more donors than ever before, and we've raised $6,700 so far. We have a long way to go to reach our goal of $30k, but I know that our community will come through for us.

Every dollar raised allows us to more effectively achieve our mission: providing memorable learning experiences in the Sonoran Desert to children, especially those who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Our primary audience is students of Title I schools. They come from low-income families who do not have the time or financial resources to spend time in nature on their own. It is only through passionate and dedicated classroom teachers that these under-served children are able to have these experiences. Without donors like you, we are unable to keep our costs low and support these learners.

As our campaign continues through the end of this month, we need your help to spread the word. Help us by sharing Cooper Center's need with friends and family, and throughout your personal and professional networks. Sharing could be on social media, through emails and phone calls, or basically by any means necessary. Direct people to our crowdfunding page, http://crowdfund.arizona.edu/cooper2018. It has never been more important to inspire children to protect our natural environment and live sustainably, and every child that visits Cooper Center experiences that inspiration firsthand. 

Keep up to date on the Cooper Center Facebook Page and please contact us if you have any questions or comments. Again, thank you for all that you do to #SupportCooperCenter!

Sincerely,

Colin Waite

Director

Cooper Center for Environmental Learning

(Camp Cooper)

(520) 626-1825

cwaite@email.arizona.edu