$1000 left to go!

I just finished coloring in the next-to-last diamond!

The timing is absolutely amazing.  The pre-sale tickets for tonight's concert are already included in the totals.  We will need just 40 people at the door tonight to meet our goal TODAY!  And the mail hasn't even come yet!

We are all so very excited and humbled and thrilled and amazed that we have [almost!] pulled this off.  This was a big goal to set for ourselves, and there were times when we all were wondering if we would make it. 

Would the tiara slip through our hands? 

Would Rick extend our deadline? 

Should we plan another event? 

Would we really reach our goal?

Just in case we didn't make it, we have kept meticulous records of each and every donation.  Our intention was to return 100% of the donations if we didn't reach the goal.

But we are thrilled that we won't have to do that! 

Your donations -- big and small -- have totaled just over $42,000 as of this very minute.  We had some big donors at $5000 or $1000, which we very much appreciate, but the vast majority of donations have been $10 to $100.  People who gave what they could to be part of a very exciting campaign to bring a First Lady's diamond tiara back home.

THANK YOU to everyone who has participated by donating yourself or helping to spread the word.  Both were equally valuable.  This was a grassroots effort, which is how this museum works best.  Just like the "pennies of schoolchildren" paid for so much of the Monument's construction over 100 years ago, the donations of ordinary citizens have helped us reach this goal.

As soon as we have reached the $43,000 mark, we'll be making the big announcement!