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EVERY DOLLAR you give will be immediately DOUBLED!

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your generous support for Wake Soil & Water Conservation District’s Resource Conservation Workshop Scholarship Program.

Now, we want to tell you about a special challenge match offer that can double your impact!

The Resource Conservation Workshop, conducted at NC State University, is a weeklong intensive study and hands-on conservation curriculum that informs, educates, and inspires over 100 high-school students from around the state, including Wake County. Many of these young people go on to pursue careers in natural resource conservation.



Last year, thanks to your support, six deserving Wake County high school students received full scholarships to the Workshop (including room & board). Three of these scholarships were funded from direct contributions to the Friends of Wake SWCD. 

Friends, this could not have happened without you!

And now, thanks to the generosity of an exceptional supporter, Friends of Wake SWCD will benefit from a $500 challenge match through December 31. Multiply your impact on the future of conservation with a special Giving Tuesday gift today!

Please Don’t Wait – Give Today!

Thank you for your commitment to our work, your friendship, and your continued support of the Friends of Wake SWCD. Your contribution to this exciting campaign challenge gives our future resource conservationists a hand toward a greener and safer planet.

With sincere gratitude for you,

Jeff Essic
Chairman, Board of Directors

If your gift and this email have crossed paths, please know how much the RCW Scholarship Awardees appreciate your support and generosity.

Dear Friends;

We wish to extend our most heartfelt thanks for your participation and support this year of Wake Soil and Water Conservation District’s 1 Big Sweep and Environmental Education programs. As you know, these programs help
conserve and protect our soil, water and natural resources, and engage Wake County residents of all ages in learning about and volunteering in activities to protect our watersheds and preserve water quality.

Thanks to your dedication, these programs are making a difference in Wake County with unparalleled success for Big Sweep and national acclaim for youth environmental education programs in Wake County.

Last year Wake County Big Sweep volunteers:

• Removed over 60,000 lbs of trash from Wake County parks, neighborhoods, open spaces, preserves, and waterways- the best clean-up season ever for Wake County Big Sweep
• Worked on 15 new clean-up locations along with 12 new organizations and 13 first-time Zone Captains to help lead more than 40 cleanup events
• Donated more than 3,000 hours of their time

This would not have been possible without the 1000+ dedicated and hard-working people, like yourself, taking time out of your busy schedule to make this happen.

Environmental Education Programs

In the last two years with your tireless help engaging, coaching, and educating our youth:

• More than 900 4th and 5th grade students participated in the annual Conservation Poster Contest illustrating their science knowledge and understanding of the importance of protecting our community’s natural resources
• 12 middle and high school teams participated in the 2023 Area 4 Envirothon with Wake County teams capturing both the middle and high school championships and 6 teams going on to compete at the state level. Our own Wake County Envirothon Team , from Enloe Magnet High School, captured 1st place in the NC Envirothon for an unprecedented 6th time and advanced to the International Envirothon competition in New Brunswick, Canada. The ‘Subchronic Exposure’ team placed 6th overall, competing against the best high school teams from 50 US states, 8 Canadian provinces, Singapore, and China
• 6 high school students from Wake County received full scholarships for the Resource Conservation Workshop at NC State University to inspire them to pursue careers in resource conservation and protection

None of these milestones could have been reached without your support.

We thank you for your commitment and your continued support to help protect Wake County’s natural resources.

With sincere gratitude for you,

The Friends of Wake Soil & Water

Funding for these programs is provided in part by Wake Soil & Water Conservation District, Wake County, Friends of the District (a 501c3 non-profit organization) and donors and supporters like you.

The Friends of Wake SWCD are thrilled to announce that we have received $5,503.85 from the Altar’d State ‘Mission Monday’ campaign, which represents a portion of local store sales thanks to customers who shopped on Mondays from April 19 through July 7 of this year!

Altar’d State is a rapidly growing women’s fashion brand with more than 100 boutiques in 30 states. Their motto, “Stand Out for Good”, reflects their mission to serve as an inspiration, empower others, and give back more than they receive.

Altar’d State selected Friends of Wake Soil because of our mission to support the Wake SWCD in protecting the natural resources of Wake County. Funds from their generous donation will be used directly for the environmental education needs of local middle and high school Envirothon teams. Additionally, we will contribute to future financial needs that arise for Big Sweep stream cleanup projects. Both of these programs attract a wide range of citizens who are drawn to volunteer their time and energy toward cleaning our waterways and encouraging everyone to be good stewards of the land. 

We are extremely grateful to have been nominated by the Altar’d State boutique located at Crabtree Valley Mall, and proud to have them as a partner in our conservation mission.

Thank You, Altar’d State for this significant and wonderful gift.

-The Friends of Wake Soil & Water Conservation District

Dear Friend of the Wake Soil & Water Conservation District:

We sincerely hope you and yours are well.  The past year was difficult for us all, and everyone is looking ahead to brighter days in 2021.

For the Friends of the District, we worked hard to maintain our momentum and stay true to our mission. Yet, the challenges of the Pandemic severely altered our plans, with workshops cancelled, events postponed, and social interactions curtailed.  Our Annual Conservation Banquet, where we traditionally gather at year’s end to celebrate the Soil & Water District’s accomplishments, mingle with friends, and welcome new members, was among them.

But we are moving ahead, refreshed, reorganized, and with a renewed commitment to support the work of the Wake SWCD.  Conservation can’t stop, and neither will we.  Please renew your membership today!  If you are new to us, please join!  And there are many other ways to get involved.

Help us jump-start our support of soil and water conservation in Wake County.  Your membership dues and donations will:

• Sponsor Resource Conservation Workshop (RCW) scholarships for Wake County high school students interested in Resource Conservation Careers
• Support the annual Keeping the Farm workshops for our resource landowners
• Sponsor the annual Conservation Awards Banquet
• Sponsor events to help the District reach out and communicate with our elected leaders to urge their continued support of the District

Please join us in our renewed commitment to support and champion the work of the District.  Become part of our mission to protect the natural resources of Wake County!

Yours in conservation, 
Donald Belk
Secretary, Friends of the District Board of Directors
fodwake@gmail.com

(Mark your calendars – the next Keeping the Farm workshop is being planned for March 24, 2021.  Full details will be posted soon on our website).

The Friends of the District will hold a meeting for members and anyone interested in our activities this year on Dec. 10, 2020 at 7pm using Zoom. Usually this time of year, we hold a wonderful banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of so many staff, volunteers, students, teachers, officials, and others who are dedicated to conserving Wake County’s natural resources. This year we’re unable to have the banquet, but we want to connect with everyone interested in our work virtually instead.

Please let us know you want to attend by emailing fodwake@gmail.com or call (919) 250-1050. We need you to register simply so we can provide the Zoom link to you.

Update: A recording of the meeting may be viewed here (starts at 9:20), and the slides may be viewed here.