From: "Mike Zets" <mzets@mail.com>
To: "<WP-ORG fd8 Committee>" <fd8@West-Point.Org>
Subject: fd8: Fw: It's that time of year again...
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 16:25:36 -0400
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Below is a copy of my first letter to our List members concerning FD8. A
forewarning is needed since the Navy side of the fence is a little less
aware of just who or what WP.Org is and what the connection is. I like to
release a special introductory message just before the initial fund-raiser
notice goes out so that our newer members are aware of why they are
receiving the message.

Thought you might like to see this one for reference.

Mike Zets
Westlake, OH
mzets@mail.com
Moderator for USNA-Net Listservers
Webmaster - www.navy-usna.org

----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Zets <mzets@mail.com>
To: <USNA-Net> <usna-net@navy-usna.org>
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 8:56 AM
Subject: It's that time of year again...


Dear Friends and Fellow USNA-Net Parents,

(I know this is lengthy but PLEASE take the time to read all of this.)

Within a day or so, you will all receive an initial message from our Sponsor group, WP.Org, announcing the beginning of our next semi-annual Fund-Raiser. A number of you have asked over the past months how we manage to offer so many valuable services and such great support to fellow parents on the USNA-Net Listservers and our USNA-Net Web Site. We do it entirely through voluntary donations.

Let me assure you all of one thing, up front...

Membership in our USNA-Net Lists and use of our Web Site and its Archives, Chat Room and Classifieds IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE FREE to Parents and Friends of USNA.

Sandi and I, along with a few others (behind the scenes), make this thing work on a strictly VOLUNTEER basis. (No USNA-Net Moderator or Webmaster is compensated in any way for their time or service.) There are however some costs associated with the operation such as equipment (our servers in Austin TX), major Internet access (we access the Internet via a fractional T-1 line) plus operating expenses (utilities, software, etc.). We don't do this alone.

Here's how it all works...

About 7 years ago a West Point Cadet was involved in an auto accident just weeks before he was due to be commissioned. He recovered well but his injuries prohibited his Commissioning. While he graduated, he was released from service and sent home. He began an on-line service to assist his fellow West Point Grads strictly in gratitude for all that USMA had done for him. That humble, volunteer beginning grew into WP.Org, a non-profit organization serving over 17,000 USMA grads, 1,700 Families of USMA Cadets and recently, our USNA Parents Network which has grown to 1,500 Families of USNA Midshipmen.

Shortly after USNA Parents were invited to join USNA-Net, Sandi and I were asked to Moderate the Navy side of this operation since the fledgling list had a USMA father as its Moderator and he admittedly knew little of the Naval Academy and the needs of Navy Parents. When we took over in January of 1999 there were only 76 names on our list of Navy Parents. Today, we number 1,500 USNA families and are still growing.

We could not have accomplished any of this if it were not for the generosity and support of WP.Org. They have provided free hosting for our HUGE USNA-Net web site without regard for its size or the level of activity. Every day almost 300 of you go to that site for something or other. On days when we've posted a new group of pictures or something else of high interest, we've had over 1,000 visit in 24 hours. Currently the hit counter is approaching 136,000 individual visits to the site since it was installed 22 months ago. That's a whole lot of looking by our members.

In that same time period we've seen over 10,000 email messages be exchanged via our lists between members and that doesn't count the responses that are sent privately to members when they have a question or problem, only those posted to our lists.

We have been able to assist families through the serious and the silly things that are involved in USNA Parenting from "What do I pack for I-day?" or "How do I handle my Mids depression or desire to quit?" to "Does anyone know what a Yard Dog is?" We have been able to be there for each other because of this wonderful and selfless organization. They actually ask nothing in return.

Membership in our Lists is FREE, just like watching Public Television. If you send in a donation, you get to watch all of the excellent programming. If you don't donate, you STILL GET TO WATCH ! What could be better?

Beginning again in a few days, we will be asking those of you that can send in a donation to do so. If your purse strings are a little tight right now, we understand. We don't ask for much... Whatever you can afford. Last spring the average donation was $33 per donor and we had 254 families send something in to help defray our costs. At that time we had only 793 Families on our lists in total. Basically, 1 in 3 families donated something. Some sent only $10 while one '03 parent sent in $250. Who gives what, is private (even Sandi and I do NOT know who gives and how much.).

All we see are the number of donors and the total amount donated by our group. All we care about is that our group does its part to support our benefactor organization, WP.Org.

As soon as our fund-raiser is launched, you will be given details of how you can donate "on-line" or via US Mail. Until then, I'm sure that we can count on all of you to support us in kind for the support you have all received over the past months or years.

Mike Zets
Westlake, OH
mzets@mail.com
Moderator for USNA-Net Listservers
Webmaster - www.navy-usna.org





*** FD8 post by: ZETS Mike Navy Parents <mzets@mail.com>

_________________________________________________________________
How does a Caribbean cruise sound in Feb 2001? Well WP-ORG has
one for our users. We also have a cruise to Alaska in Jun 2001.
check them out for a class mini-reunion at:
http://travel.west-point.org