60th Annual Tidewater Science Fair Solicits Your Support

Tidewater Science Congress
John Oakes, Treasurer
5016 Churchill Court
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
October 15, 2010
Dear Sir/Madam:
The Tidewater Science Congress solicits your support for the 60th Annual Tidewater Science Fair, scheduled March 12, 2011 at Old Dominion University's Webb Center. Since 1951, the Tidewater Science Fair has encouraged middle school and high school students from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach to become directly involved in the processes of research and develop the technical writing skills needed to clearly and effectively communicate the results of their experiments. By encouraging interest in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), we hope to inspire and encourage students to study the "hard subjects" that prepare them for careers as leaders of the workforce of the future.
The Tidewater Science Congress encourages and assists teachers and school districts in developing science fair programs that conform to protocols that ensure that student projects will be eligible to advance from regional competition to the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Representing their schools at regional, state, and national level competitions gives important public and peer recognition to students who focus their interests, talents, and efforts on STEM. The honors these students earn in state and national competitions build the region's reputation as a place where parents can be confident that their children receive a quality education and businesses can be confident of finding a high quality workforce.
The restrictions associated with public funding prior to 2004 limited eligibility to participate in the Tidewater Science Fair to students from a limited number of public school districts. Since 2004, support from industry, professional organizations, and individuals has freed us from those restrictions and allowed us to open the Tidewater Science Fair to all public school, private school, and home schooled students from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach. This has given teachers and schools throughout Tidewater an incentive to include science fairs and science projects in their curricula by assuring them that their students will have an opportunity to advance to higher levels of competition.
Please consider a personal or corporate contribution to help the Tidewater Science Congress continue a 60-year commitment to encouraging young people to develop their interests in STEM. We must raise approximately $15,000.00 per year for expenses which include the costs of organizing and staging the fair in Norfolk and funding the Grand Prize winners' travel to Los Angeles in May to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
Funds donated to the Tidewater Science Fair are accepted and administered by the Tidewater Science Congress, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered with the Internal Revenue Service (TIN: 52 1385891). The Tidewater Science Congress will provide receipts for your tax deductible contributions and will recognize you as a sponsor in the printed Science Fair Program and at our website.

Contributions

The Tidewater Science Congress is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. You can verify this status online by searching Internal Revenue Service Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations described in Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Point your browser to www.irs.gov/app/pub-78. Our TIN is 52-1385891
Your contribution before February 2011 would be greatly appreciated. We will use your contribution to defray the expenses of organizing and staging the 60th Tidewater Science Fair and funding Grand Prize Winners' travel to the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Any balance on hand after meeting these expenses will be carried forward to support the 61st Tidewater Science Fair in 2012.
Please mail contributions to the address shown at the top of this sheet.
If you have any questions, please contact either
John Oakes, Treasurer, Tidewater Science Congress by e-mail addressed to john.r.oakes@cox.net or by phone at (757) 748-8560
OR
Ms. Dell Young, Executive Director, Tidewater Science Congress, by email addressed to dellandlarry@verizon.net or by phone at 757-460-1383
Levels of Sponsorship:

• Bronze: $1 to $250
• Silver: $251 to $1,000
• Gold: $1001 to $ 4,999
• Platinum: $5,000+

Please provide the information requested below and include this form with your donation. We will use this information to prepare a proper receipt for your donation, to recognize your sponsorship properly in the Tidewater Science Fair printed program and at our website, and to maintain donor records required to maintain our status as a tax-exempt charitable organization.

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