2009 Summary of Activities
This year, our 100
volunteers contributed 3,058 hours of volunteer time
in support of the park, making this our 7th consecutive year with more
than 3,000 hours of volunteer work. In December, projects coordinator Jim Ries, membership
chair Lisa Wool,
and member Carole Walsh
received Outstanding
Volunteer Service Awards from the Division of Parks and
Recreation.
Our 2009 work involved some new
initiatives, including:
Initial conceptual planning for a new natural play area at the nature center to provide a way to engage children in nature-oriented outdoor activities,
Conducting a survey on trail use issues to provide our members an opportunity to input to a new trail plan being developed for the park, and
Completing the purchase and installation of a new storage shed at the nature center.
We also continued a solid base of ongoing volunteer projects, including:
Advocacy for open space preservation in Delaware, with a special focus on the park area,
Trail upgrades and cleanups, plus adopt-a-trail and adopt-a-highway programs for regular monitoring and maintenance of trails and roads,
Nature Center Staffing on Sundays and some Saturdays, April through November,
Nestboxes for bluebirds and kestrels, fledging 164 baby bluebirds but no kestrels yet,
Funding for scholarships for disadvantaged children to participate in educational programs given by the nature center staff,
Live nest cameras for songbirds at the nature center,
Native plantings at the park office and benches along trails in the park,
Public recreation and nature programs done jointly with the park staff (plant and bird walks, fly fishing workshops),
Historical research toward future publications about the park area, and
Financial and volunteer support for park programs and promoting the park and the Friends to the general public.
We also worked to sustain our organization and its ability to
support the park, including:
Raising funds by selling water ice at summer concerts and wood crafts and note cards at the park office,
Keeping our memberships high (433 members as of 12/31/09),
Maintaining a strong financial position, as summarized in the financial statement below, and
Communicating regularly with our members and the general public through our website, www.WhiteClayFriends.org, newsletters, and membership meetings.
We thank all our members and especially our leaders and other
volunteers for making these activities possible.
2009 Statement of Financial Activity and 2010 Budget
| 2009 | 2010 | |
| Unrestricted Support & Revenue | ||
| Membership Dues | $3,270.00 | $3,100.00 |
| Contributions | 2,696.02 | 3,200.00 |
| Water Ice Sales | 1,848.00 | 1,400.00 |
| Other Merchandise Sales | 737.00 | 500.00 |
| Interest & Miscellaneous | 24.19 | 20.00 |
| Total | $8,575.21 | $8,220.00 |
| Expenses | ||
| Projects | ||
| Benches | $ 17.54 | $ 250.00 |
| Education Support | 1,686.18 | 2,940.00 |
| Birder's Guide | 0.00 | 400.00 |
| Water Ice Supplies | 1,305.92 | 1,000.00 |
| Native Plantings | 0.00 | 100.00 |
| Trail Work & Other | 943.48 | 1,500.00 |
| Park Support | 1,920.82 | 1,900.00 |
| Filing fee & Insurance | 297.60 | 325.00 |
| Communications & Publicity | 579.49 | 1,100.00 |
| Membership Meetings | 200.00 | 300.00 |
| Office Expense & Postage | 825.84 | 1,025.00 |
| Miscellaneous | 112.00 | 185.00 |
| Total | $7,888.87 | $11,025.00 |
| Support/Revenue less Expenses | $686.34 | ($2805.00) |
| Net Assets | ||
| Beginning of Period | $17,270.76 | $17,957.10 |
| End of period | $17,957.10 | $15,152.10 |
Audit Report - During January 2010 we, the audit committee appointed by the President, reviewed the financial records of the Friends of White Clay Creek State Park. We determined that the above statement fairly represents the financial activities and net assets of the organization for the year ended December 31, 2009. All financial records are open for review by members at any time upon request. Ella de Courcelle (Chair), Sherri Haller, Frank Rawling.