From: "Mike Zets" <mzets@mail.com>
To: "<USNA-Net>" <usna-net@navy-usna.org>
Subject: FD9 Fund Raiser Kicks Off Today...
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:49:01 -0400
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To all of our USNA-Net Family,

Today marks the kick-off of Fund Drive Nine (FD9). For some of you this
will be a familiar experience and for others, especially our newest members,
it will be a first time event. We hope to be able to explain it well enough
to be able to count on each and every one of our members for their support
and generosity this time as we have in the past.

USNA-Net is a non-profit organization established a couple of years ago for
the sole purpose of benefiting Parents of Midshipmen attending the United
States Naval Academy. Sandi and I have been its Moderators and webmasters
from almost the very beginning. When we took over as Moderators back in
February of 1999, the one listserver that USNA-Net ran had only 70 members
and did not have a supporting web site of any kind.

Today, our Listservers mentor over 1,650 Families with advice, support and
information and that number will grow to over 2,200 by the end of this
coming Plebe Summer with the addition of the Plebe Parents of the Class of
'05. Our lists re-broadcast thousands of separate messages to our
membership annually on four specialized lists dealing with Family, Plebe,
Sports and Club issues. In addition, we have begun several regional lists
for Parents' Clubs with membership spread over large areas and have
introduced a new list in support of NAPS and Foundation Parents for the
Class of '06.

Our USNA-Net web site has become a valued resource with hundreds of pages,
filled with information, photographs and helpful links to other sites that
cannot be found anywhere else on the Internet. It's been visited almost
200,000 times in the past two years by Net members and others interested in
USNA.

All of this takes a great deal of time and effort to build and maintain.
Sandi and I have been working at making USNA-Net the best service of its
kind available because we feel USNA is the best Service Academy and its
Parents deserve only the very best as well. We continue to hear from
various members thanking us for all we do to Moderate the lists and maintain
the web site. It certainly makes us feel good about the hours we spend each
day doing something for USNA-Net.

But we haven't done this alone. Sandi and I have built all of this on the
supporting structure of a fine and generous organization called WP-ORG.
Founded seven years ago by ditus Bolanos, a graduate of West Point, WP-ORG
is our benefactor organization which maintains the software, servers,
telecommunications lines and equipment necessary for the efficient
day-to-day operation of our USNA-Net Listservers and web site.

Unfortunately, all of these facilities and services cost money to operate
and that brings us to FD9. Twice a year, in conjunction with WP-ORG, we ask
our members to send in something appropriate in the way of a donation to
offset the costs of T1 lines, computer hardware, and other operating
expenses. Every penny of every donation goes toward supporting the
continuing operation of our Parents Network. Sandi and I are totally
volunteer and receive no compensation for our services.

USNA-Net is a branch of WP-ORG which is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization.
All donations are 100% deductible. We even have the ability to accept
matching contributions from your employers if they offer matching donations
as many do.

So, if you feel that you have been helped by our USNA-Net Parents Network in
some small way over the past months, you can show your appreciation by
sending in a donation. We've made it as easy as possible again this drive
by setting up a secure server web site which will accept all major credit
cards. You can find the On-Line donation site at...

        https://www-secure.west-point.org/wporg/donate

Or visit our web site at www.navy-usna.org and click on the DONATE button on
the main page.

When using the On-Line Donation web site, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SELECT "NAVY"
AS THE AFFILIATION so that USNA-Net is properly credited for your donation.
(Ignore the "Year Group" - this is mainly for WP Alumni.) If you feel so
inclined, you might tell WP-ORG just how much you appreciate this service
by leaving a short note in the "Personal Remarks" area.

If you prefer to make your donation using a check, please make it out to
WP-ORG and mail via Regular US Mail to:

WP-ORG (Remember to write "Navy" on the memo line of your check.)
PO Box 2108
Abingdon, VA 24212-2108

Your help and generosity will be greatly appreciated by all of us who work
to make USNA-Net the finest Parental Support Group on the Internet.

Go Navy - Beat Army!

Mike and Sandi Zets
Westlake, OH
Moderators for USNA-Net Listservers
Webmasters for www.navy-usna.org