by Patricia Butler
Development Committee Co-chair
New London Main Street Board of Directors

This is a special plea to ask you to support our Annual Appeal. Now, more than ever, we need help from our friends.

You may be familiar with our organization, but you may not know exactly how we work. More than a dozen years ago, New London Main Street began with a focused mission and a nationally tested plan to revitalize the downtown. We had a proven roadmap with four key elements: Design (how we look), Promotion (things to see and do), Organization (getting the word out), and Economic Enhancement (helping businesses attract customers and market their services).

We focus on the downtown Historic Waterfront District, because it is our heritage, it is worth saving, and it is a manageable area. Most importantly, without a vibrant downtown, a city has little chance of making a comeback. Through the years we have readjusted priorities based on the projects and needs of the City, but we always address all four elements. Without them, as experience all over the country has shown, a revitalization effort will fail.

As you must have discovered in your own business or life experience, there are only two methods of confronting a problem or goal. One is to talk endlessly about what needs to be done. This approach has lots of advocates. Talking is the easy, safe road. The other method, the one we use at New London Main Street, is to think, plan, act and accomplish. This approach is not without setbacks, and we sometimes face obstacles. But we are proud that we are still here tackling the challenge of revitalizing New London.

We have so many examples of how planning and action have led to success that finding just a few (so you will keep reading) was difficult. Click here for a snapshot of our recent accomplishments and goals for the upcoming year. Each one would take a full page to describe all the planning, actions and implementation steps that brought them to fruition.

We are pleased to report that we've reached 79% of our $20,000 Annual Appeal goal. We need about $4,000 to skate over the finish line. Please consider making as large a contribution as you can to help us keep doing more than talk, because action costs money.

We have a talented, dedicated, enthusiastic staff that works endlessly to make our projects successful. All the contributions to the Annual Appeal are used in the day-to-day expenses of running the office and the programs we make happen.

Keep in mind that your donation is tax deductible according to the law, and can be your first tax savings of 2012!