$16,125 raised in this year’s Fall fundraiser!
On a personal note; this will conclude my 14th year of directing the world’s largest solar astronomy outreach program - The Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project - which I founded in 2008 to honor my friend Charlie who killed himself after his wife Susan died from cancer.
The entire intent was to let people having a rough time know that someone sees them and sees their potential so that at least one person wouldn’t go down the same hopeless road and take their own life.
It’s morphed in to so much more since then with so many people here in the U.S. and all over the world benefitting in some small way from the resources that we collect and distribute under the nonprofit system. The Solarchat Forum isn’t too bad either!
. Thanks Mark, Alexandra and Ken for running things. This entire program has been miraculously supported by the same tiny group of about 150 people since it started. The vast majority or our donors never see a tangible benefit for themselves and most don’t have anything to do with astronomy. They are usually not wealthy people although we do have a couple benefactors in that range. It’s a group of normal every day people who understand that giving a little attention to someone and letting them know that you see them and care about them goes so far in so many lives. Sharing what you love with someone ALWAYS ends well
for both parties and it is the way in which our society survives. Turns out spreading science and knowledge with compassion for folks is a really good thing.
I want to extend a profound and humble thank you to the small group of incredible people that support this nonprofit every year and want to assure you that what you do for our 501c3 goes directly and fully towards helping people bloom to their fullest potential. It’s really awesome to watch someone develop confidence and abilities that they didn’t know they had!
Thank you 153 donors for keeping us around for another 6 months. I promise to bust my butt and make you proud.
Stephen W. Ramsden
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