Your help is needed! Support the River District Association

Editor’s note: The following is from an e-mail generated by Rockford’s downtown River District Association (RDA) seeking support from the public in their request for the renewal of their $40,000 annual allocation from the City of Rockford. The e-mail was sent prior to Rockford City Council’s April 19 vote to send the request for renewal back to committee, meaning a final vote has been delayed. (Click here to read about the April 19 city council vote.) River District Association is a private, 501(c)3 not-for-profit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members. The association’s mission is “to promote a growing, thriving, prosperous business and residential community in Rockford’s downtown neighborhood, River District.” Click here to visit River District’s Web site.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Dear River District Friend,

River District Association’s annual funding request is up for renewal and on the City Council agenda for a vote of approval on Monday, April 19, 2010.

We are asking that you show your support of our organization by contacting aldermen and asking them to vote YES to support River District Association.

Following this letter is a sample message you can copy and paste into a new e-mail and sign with your name and send to your alderman—or all of them. A list of aldermen and their contact information is also provided below for your convenience.

River District Association (RDA) receives $40,000 per year from the City of Rockford ($20,000 from the East TIF and $20,000 from the West TIF). In exchange, RDA provides a work plan to the city that provides services related to economic development.

The River District Association’s efforts help the businesses in and around the TIF districts grow, thus positively affecting the performance of the TIF.

The $40,000 given to RDA by the city is used to generate an additional $75,000, which does not include the in-kind donations, pro-bono work and countless volunteer hours. When all factors are considered, the city’s investment in RDA is more than quadrupled. All of this ultimately benefits projects and initiatives for Rockford’s downtown. We offer not only a strong return on the investment, but our work is critical to the success of numerous projects and organizations.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Any effort you are able to make is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely and on behalf of the River District Association Board of Directors,

Kim Wheeler Johnsen
Executive Director
River District Association
kim@riverdistrict.com

Sample message

Dear City of Rockford Aldermen,

Please vote YES to approve funding for River District Association. The River District Association is a valuable driver of growth and development in our downtown and its work helps ensure the future viability of our entire community. The River District’s efforts to coordinate, promote and support various projects and initiatives have resulted in measurable achievements for our downtown.

Sincerely,

Contact your alderman
(Aldermen listed by ward number)

1—Joe Sosnowski, (815) 739-0772, joe.sosnowski@rockfordil.gov

2—Pat Curran, (815) 398-7504, pat.curran@rockfordil.gov

3—Doug Mark, (815) 962-2058, douglas.mark@rockfordil.gov

4—Carl Wasco, (815) 282-1635, Carl.Wasco@rockfordil.gov

5—Venita Hervey, (815) 968-7682, venita.hervey@rockfordil.gov

6—Leonard Jacobson, (815) 874-9299, Leonard.Jacobson@rockfordil.gov

7—Ann Thompson-Kelly, (815) 968-8389, Ann.Thompson@rockfordil.gov

8—Nancy Johnson, (815) 226-0673, Nancy.Johnson@rockfordil.gov

9—Bill Timm, (815) 962-7592, Bill.Timm@rockfordil.gov

10—Frank Beach, (815) 399-3737, Franklin.Beach@rockfordil.gov