Here is Your Monthly Newsletter from Seabeck

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January 2024

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A Message from the Director

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We started 2024 with our friends from The Eliot Institute. We had an incredible 5 course New Years Eve dinner last night. It might have been the nicest meal ever served in our Dining Room. It was very well received by the 130 guests in attendance. 2024 is off to a good start. I hope you also have a great start to your year. I just saw on Facebook that one weather model has over 12” of snow falling here in two weeks. A lot can happen to weather models in two weeks, so I am not panicking yet. So far it has been a very mild winter here.

The next set of giant redwoods arrives on the 8th. They will go on the North end of campus. We are excited to continue to preserve the DNA of these beautiful trees.

The solar project kicks off this month as well. Firs will receive 20 panels in late January. I feel really good about moving towards green energy. We also installed the first heat pump using the expected rebate from the solar project. That heat pump also had a $2000 rebate. I feel like one of those coupon hoarders you see on reality TV.

Thank you to all who responded to our end of the year letter. I am so grateful for your generosity. This was the first letter since Covid. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Mostly because our guests and friends have been so supportive and generous during the crisis and the Pines Capital Campaign. I hoped to raise around $65,000 to fund the three projects listed on the appeal. As of yesterday we have gifts and pledges of around $147,000!!! THANK YOU! This will allow us to do even more improvement projects around campus. I just added remodeling the three Reeser bathrooms to the list of things I hope to do this year.

We are still tracking a very small septic leak somewhere on campus. We are working with our service provider to trace the leak and stop it. We are also working with the Department of Revenue on finding the right exemption for our property. Building the new Pines triggered a review of our file. I am so glad we are squeaky clean when it comes to our property tax exemption. I know there has been some frustration from guests when they can’t bring their family reunion here or when I won’t allow an artist to sell their paintings on campus, but this why we do it. I am confident we will find the leak and be exempted by the State. I have always said my two biggest fears are the property tax exemption and septic trouble. Now here they are together at once. I will let you know if we need any help in rallying the legislature to our cause.

I hope you and yours have a great 2024! I am very confident it will be a great year for Seabeck.

Thanks,

Chuck

Celtic Arts Concert 2024

The yearly Celtic Arts Concert is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 12, 2024 in the Meeting House. Donations are taken at the door and all proceeds go directly to the musicians. There's no program that they follow so it's impromptu and the musicians interact with the guests, which makes it a great experience for everyone.

This is a popular event that the Seabeck community enjoys every year. There will be more information in the February News & Views, but in the meantime, mark your calendars for February 12th!

Friends of Seabeck Holiday Weekend

The Friends of Seabeck Weekend was held December 8-10th. They had a great time making a holiday craft, learning how to make chartcuterie boards and how to pair wines with different foods at their next holiday party. They also participated in two after dinner parties and had a holiday movie night on Saturday evening.

We are hoping to make this special weekend bigger this year, so mark your calendars for December 13-15, 2024. Reservations will be required. Give yourself a gift of a weekend away before the Christmas rush!

Snapshots from Seabeck

Photo by Peggy Maurer on 12/13/2023

Photo by Joshua Craig 12/9/2023

Photo by Kelly Kalber 12.9.2023

Ways to Donate to Seabeck

Do you want to help us lay the foundation for the next decade of Seabeck Conference Center? There are many ways, not all of them involving huge disbursements of cash. Here are some creative ideas you

might not have thought about:

Cash Donation Today

Tax-deductible gifts via check, credit card, in person, or online. Please consider

upping your regular gift by another 10 percent.

Automatic Monthly Payments

Gifts can be deducted periodically from your bank account, making larger donations easier by spreading them over time.

Low-Cost Appreciated Stock

Avoid paying the capital gains by giving full-market value to Seabeck Conference Center.

In-Kind Donation

We are always in need of furniture, lighting, rugs, and much more - the market value is tax-deductible.

Multi-Year Pledges

A great way to ensure support will be there when we need it year after year.

Designated Gifts

Donate to a targeted project or capital campaign.

Commemorative Gifts

Donate a bench or rocking chair in honor of someone or something important to you.

A Bequest in Your Will

Your gift can be a specific sum or a percentage of an estate after other bequests. Just add an addendum to your existing will.

Life Insurance and Savings Accounts

Same as retirement plans, except those payments made to Seabeck Conference Center are exempt only from estate taxes.

IRA's and Retirement Plans

Your estate receives a charitable deduction for the full gift amount on estate and income taxes, while we receive full donation value. Non-charitable heirs receive only a part of the value (since inherited assets are subject to estate and income taxes).

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity. QCDs can be counted toward satisfying your required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year, as long as certain rules are met. You must be 70-1/2 or older to be eligible to make a QCD.

All gifts are welcome. Seabeck Conference Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contribution may be tax-deductible. If you have any questions, please contact our Executive Director, Chuck Kraining at

(360) 830-5010 or email him at chuck@seabeck.org.

Seabeck Conference Center

13395 Lagoon Dr NW

Seabeck, Washington 98380

360.830.5010 Email | Websi te