Congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped us reach our goal of raising $1.4 million for the Museum’s Annual Fund. Your enthusiasm for Mystic Seaport has achieved a remarkable accomplishment and set a new standard for philanthropy at the Museum. A robust and successful Annual Fund is critical to sustaining the core strength of the Museum and enables our continued growth and success.
Each and every day more than 150 staff members and dozens of volunteers come to work at Mystic Seaport.They are astronomers, shipwrights, administrators, actors, riggers, gardeners and professionals of every sort. They walk through the gates to their duty stations and they bring Mystic Seaport to life. I say this intentionally, because Mystic Seaport is not a static museum focused on preservation, but a dynamic living community fully engaged in restoration. The work we do is keeping the skills, crafts, trades and knowledge of a bygone era alive for this current generation.
In my first remarks to the staff of Mystic Seaport back in 2009, I spoke about the importance of community. There is a preponderance of evidence that the wellspring of success for the Museum over the past 85 years has been the community that is Mystic Seaport. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the success of the 2013-2014 Annual Fund. More than 2,000 members and friends came together to commit $1.4 million to strengthen the Museum and to support our mission to create an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.
We are all drawn to Mystic Seaport by our own unique personal interests. Yet, we are united in our belief that the mission of Mystic Seaport is vital and that the Museum is worthy of our support. We have much to be proud of. Thank you!
Steve White
President
