It's a good idea David.

Next month OCF will be sending out an email to everyone that we have an address for, and a print letter to all others who perhaps have sent in a check or contacted us in a snail mail manner...asking for financial support. As both Thanksgiving (we all should appreciate this for very obvious reasons now) and the giving time of Christmas approach, we hope that people will be in the mood to help if we ask outright. We are going to tell them what we are working on what outcomes and positive results we expect to get from it, what services we are currently providing and need to continue and hopefully show them that we are worthy of their help, and that we all share a common value system.

I am hoping that the response will be good, because all of these contacts CAME TO US originally and they are a very well groomed list of people that understand this disease. We'll see how it works out. Obviously the posters on this board have all registered their email addresses and will be part of this outreach. Previous donors, people that have signed up for our e-newsletter soon to come out, information requests that we have gotten by email, and more will all be included in this outreach. It is probably about 10,000 names. After this mailing there will clearly be some that come back as undeliverable and we will groom the list and continue to add to it. Barbara Boland and her family have done an amazing job of helping OCF each year with a 3 month letter writing drive of their own to family, friends, and business associates that has raised between $15,000 and $20,000 for OCF each year, for two years in a row. If her family can do it, so can others. But we hope that December is the month that people choose to open their hearts...and their pocketbooks and wallets, for a cuase that spends 90 % of every dollar on something directly related to hepinhg people and not infrastucture, salaries, and other collateral expenses. We rank in the to 10% of all charities in the US in relationship to low operating and administrative expenses vs. money spent to accomplish something in the real world of our disease. We're proud of that, and people can be assured that we are thoughtful and frugal when it comes to using their donations wisely.