Give BIG on Tuesday, May 5!

May 5 is an opportunity to be a part of something truly remarkable.  May 5 is an opportunity to donate in support of the steam locomotive 924 rehabilitation.

The Seattle Foundation's annual giving event "Give BIG!" is scheduled for May 5 and the Northwest Railway Museum is participating.  This year, contributions will support the steam program, and specifically the efforts to rehabilitate the 1899-built steam locomotive 924 now underway in the Conservation and Restoration Center at the Railway History Center.

The new cistern for 924's tender is

taking shape on the floor of the

Conservation and Restoration Center.

Contributions received between midnight and midnight on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 via the Museum's gateway page on the Seattle Foundation's website will be eligible for a partial match from the Seattle Foundation, and will complete for a one of the "Golden Tickets," which is an additional $1,000 contribution.

Your support truly makes a difference, and will help put locomotive 924 back in steam for its second Century of service.  Make a contribution here on Tuesday, May 5 between midnight and midnight and be a part of something truly remarkable.

Locomotive 924 moves to the Conservation and Restoration Center in this

October 2014 image.

Give BIG results

The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG 2014 event was a big success for the Northwest Railway Museum! The Museum recently received the final report from The Seattle Foundation and more than $14,000 was raised in support of the steam program, the upcoming visit of the Santa Cruz Portland Cement 2 steam locomotive in August, and towards additional work on chapel car 5 Messenger of Peace. The visiting steam locomotive will arrive in late July and is scheduled to pull the train during Snoqualmie Railroad Days, August 15, 16, and 17. Thank you to everyone who supported GiveBIG 2014!

Bad to beautiful conclusion

Thanks to dozens of donors and local corporate sponsors, the Bad to Beautiful initiative has been successfully completed! 

Workers from Queen Anne

Upholstery unpack and

unload the reupholstered

seats.

The Museum participated in the Seattle Foundation’s Give BIG event last May.  Give BIG 2012 was the second annual day of giving hosted by the Seattle Foundation with participation from hundreds of local charities.  Individual donations were partially matched by a stretch pool funded by local companies including Seattle Sounders FC, Microsoft and JP Morgan Chase.  Donors made contributions through the Museum's page at the Seattle Foundation.

The Museum pledged support from the event for new seat upholstery on the interpretive railway.  Seats in car 1590 were selected - they were last reupholstered during the Roosevelt administration.  That 1913-built car’s seats actually came from an early 20^th Century first class coach because the 1590’s original café and parlor chairs were removed during WW II.

Completed seat cushions in car 1590.

Twenty two seats in the car 1590 have now been reupholstered with commercial fabric, a product several orders of magnitude more durable (and costly!) than fabric used on home furniture.  The dark green mohair-like material is very similar to the original fabric used on these seats nearly 100 years ago.  Work was performed by Seattle's Queen Anne Upholstery and the results are spectacular!  So come and check out the new seats – train departs weekends through the end of October and again for Santa Train. 

Thank you to everyone who supported Give BIG 2012, corporate donors who matched those donations, and to the Seattle Foundation for hosting it!

From Bad to Beautiful - inspired by you

Last year, The Seattle Foundation orchestrated an incredible one-day online giving event that - thanks to you - raised nearly $19,000 for the Northwest Railway Museum. It was the most successful single day of giving in the Museum’s history.

This year on May 2, from midnight to midnight Pacific Time, GiveBIG is happening again. But it's no same-old, same-old. Inspired by your recent comments on our Facebook page, the Northwest Railway Museum will direct funds raised during GiveBIG 2012 toward seats and upholstery on our interpretive railway.

FROM BAD TO BEAUTIFUL

Our last major seating effort was in 1998 when seats in coach 276 were reupholstered at a cost of more than $25,000. Now it’s time to continue the transformation. Will you participate in GiveBIG and help us raise another $25,000, so that older coach seats throughout the train may be restored to their former glory?

Each of the coaches was built about 100 years ago - between 1912 and 1915. When they were new, they were elegant. Today’s “bad to beautiful” effort will reclaim a little of that spirit and make a ride aboard the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad more enjoyable - and more authentic.

HERE’S HOW TO GROW YOUR GIFT ON MAY 2

On Wednesday, May 2, visit The Seattle Foundation’s online Giving Center between midnight and midnight Pacific Time. Make a donation of any size to the Northwest Railway Museum.

The Seattle Foundation and business sponsors will match a share of every donation made during that 24-hour period. BUT . . . the larger our percentage of the total amount of donations made to all nonprofits during that day, the larger our percentage of the matching stretch pool.

If you give just once to the Northwest Railway Museum, please give on May 2.

WANT A REMINDER?

• If you'd like to receive an email reminder on May 2, please subscribe to our (approximately monthly) e-newsletter. We'll send a brief reminder the morning of May 2.
• We'll also post The Seattle Foundation's online Giving Center link on our website and on our Facebook page on May 2.
• RSVP on the GiveBIG 2012: From Bad to Beautiful event page we created. We'll send a brief reminder message via Facebook.
  

Thank you for participating in this “bad to beautiful” transformation! Thanks, also, to event sponsors, including JP Morgan Chase & Co, Microsoft, Seattle International Foundation, and Seattle Sounders FC. Over the years, The Seattle Foundation has given the Northwest Railway Museum several generous grants in support of general operating expenses and the Railway History Center Train Shed capital campaign. They have our continuing gratitude.

GiveBIG to make giving history June 23

How would you like to be part of what promises to be the biggest community-wide, charitable giving day in King County history?

GiveBIG is an online giving challenge benefiting King County nonprofit organizations. Any donation you make to the Northwest Railway Museum through The Seattle Foundation's online Giving Center between 7:00 AM and midnight, Thursday, June 23, will be stretched further, thanks to The Seattle Foundation and GiveBIG sponsors.

The Museum values The Seattle Foundation as a supporter and funder. The Foundation currently supports a “complex fabric of issues” through a countywide philanthropic agenda called A Healthy Community. We’re deeply moved by the importance A Healthy Community places on arts and culture as well as basic needs, education, economy, environment, health and other issues.

Over the years, The Seattle Foundation has given the Museum several generous grants in support of general operating expenses and the Railway History Center Train Shed capital campaign. Now The Seattle Foundation and GiveBIG sponsors have arranged to stretch donations made by you and other involved community members next week during one special day of giving. Funds received by the Museum will support collection care, including our interpretive railway, and help complete the track leading into the Train Shed exhibit building.

Here's how GiveBIG works:

1) Please visit our page in The Seattle Foundation Giving Center on Thursday, June 23.

2) On that day, the Donate Now button will reveal a link for making credit card donations. Click and enter your donation and Visa or MasterCard information. That’s it!

The Museum will receive your gift plus a prorated portion of The Seattle Foundation's $500,000 stretch pool based on the total value of donations the Museum receives during the day.

In addition, if you're randomly selected to win a Golden Ticket some time during the day, you'll earn an additional $1,000 for the Northwest Railway Museum!

What can you do to get ready?

1) Mark your calendar today so you'll remember to make a gift Thursday, June 23, between 7:00 AM and midnight.

2) “Attend” the Museum’s GiveBIG event on Facebook.

3) Check out The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG event page.

4) Rally your friends through Facebook, Twitter ((#GiveBIG)), email, phone and good old face-to-face. Every donation made to the Museum through The Seattle Foundation Giving Center between 7:00 AM and midnight on June 23 will increase the Museum's share of the $500,000 stretch pool!

We know the power of one when acting in sync with other committed individuals. Exactly one year ago today, we learned that Chapel Car 5 Messenger of Peace had been awarded a generous grant from Partners in Preservation because of your ardent response to an online voting campaign. Thank you for being part of such a wonderful, active community of friends and supporters! We hope you’ll join us on June 23 for The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG event.