OPPORTUNITIES and BENEFITS
As a member of The Historical Museum at St. Gertrude you will join others who are interested in preserving an important part of our heritage. You will be our partner in providing a cultural resource to families, to the community, to the region, and beyond. You will help bridge the past and the future. Memberships include free unlimited admission to the museum; a 10% discount on books and gifts in the museum gift shop; the museum newsletter, REDISCOVER; the museum journal Echoes of the Past; volunteer opportunities; and invitations to special events at the museum.

GIFTING OF ARTIFACTS.
The museum is always ready to accept gifts that have historical significance to Idaho. Examples of items of interest include, but are not limited to, old letters, manuscripts, photographs, books, ledgers, clothing, furniture, and weapons. Museum staff can visit with you to determine whether items have historical significance, or you can bring them to the museum for evaluation. It is helpful to have as much historical information as possible about each artifact. When was it made? Who made it? Who has owned it? What is the story or stories related to the artifact? What is it and how was it used? Why is it important? The museum will have you sign a “statement of gift” which assigns the artifact to the museum and which can be used by you as a tax deduction as defined by law. By gifting artifacts to the museum, you are guaranteeing that the item will be properly cared for and preserved according to recognized museum standards. The goal of the museum is to preserve the past for the future. We invite your contributions.

MUSEUM APPEAL.
Preservation, maintenance and education activities are costly, but not as costly as the loss of a historic collection. Once an item is professionally preserved, the upkeep and maintenance continues on a regular basis. We have over 70,000 artifacts in the museum's collection such as family photos, documents, farm utensils, medical supplies, clothing, rock collections, and, yes, lights. Operating expenses for preservation materials, a temperature and humidity controlled environment, utilities and salaries total more than $100,000 annually.

We reverence this public trust, and so, the monastery bears some of the cost of the operations and services of the museum. Sometimes the museum's income sources - fundraising events such as the Raspberry Festival and Victorian Tea, income from a donor-designated investment fund, museum memberships and admissions - don't cover the operating expenses. When this happens, we make up the difference from the monastery's operations budget.

We are asking for your help. Our goal for this fundraising appeal is $50,000.  Can you help us with any of the following expenses?

• $20 - one archival photo album. We have 14 and need 20 more.
• $25 - one package of tissue paper for wrapping fragile gowns, uniforms, costumes and other organic textiles. We use eight packages annually.
• $30 - one storage box for documents and textile storage. We use 30 annually.
• $100 - 200 photoguard pages to protect historic photos. We have over 5,000 photos in our collection.
• $600 - one museum quality mannequin. We need seven to display historic costumes.
• $1,500 - postage for one year.
• $2,000 - insurance for the museum for one year.
• $3,000 - propane for one year. We must keep the museum at a constant temperature and humidity level for the collection's protection.
• $5,000 - printing costs for one year.

Please make checks payable to ICBS.

© 1997-2007
 Idaho Corporation of Benedictine Sisters
Historical Museum at  St. Gertrude
465 Keuterville Rd
Cottonwood, ID 83522-5183
208-962-2050
FAX  208-962-2059
curator@stgertrudes.org
contact:  Webweaver
Revision 11 May 2007