2022 Donation Drive!

March 11, 2022

Dear Bethany Family,

It’s that time of year again and we are hosting our Bethany Cemetery Association Donation Drive! In this letter you will find a recap from 2021 and plans for 2022. Please be sure to let us know if you have any questions, comments, concerns or ideas regarding Bethany Cemetery! As you know the cemetery care depends largely on donations. The amount we receive each year from our gracious donors just barely covers the maintenance and mowing expenses. We have been working on creative ways and fundraisers to help improve the cemetery as well as fixing problem areas that need attention so we ask you to continue your support for our small, local cemetery. We know many of you have a passion for family history as we do and we want to ensure our family members final resting place is cherished. Any amount you are willing to donate is appreciated; it all adds up!

We have continued to share our issue of the missing plat-book and unknown burial locations of nearly 40 people. We have increased our cash reward for the missing plat-book to $500.00. I made contact with Mr. Charles Stewart over this past year and he said he was working to help locate it. Please pray for this! We continue to work on our “Missing Families” in hopes we may be able to figure out where they are laid to rest. We had some help from local genealogy enthusiast to help us “witch” for unmarked graves and we have these marked on a separate map in hopes it will help us locate some people. We hosted a raffle fundraiser that helped us raise additional funds. We plan to have another fundraiser in the works soon. In addition, we sold some t-shirts that helped bring in some extra funds as well.

We were able to get rock donated to us for the roads and a very reasonable price for labor from a local contractor to lay the road. For this I am extremely grateful! Additionally, we were donated some gently used 2-post white vinyl fencing from the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Center. We collected more of it than what we need to replace the fencing that runs by the highway. Some local Boy Scout Troops have agreed to install the fencing for us as well. Both the road and fencing should be completed by summer this year! YAY!

We are still wanting to work on registering our cemetery association as a not-for-profit in the future as well so that we will be eligible for grant funding and donors can write it off on their taxes. If anyone has experience in this area it would be helpful.

We have scheduled our Spring Cleanup Day for Saturday, May 7th at 9:00 AM with a rain date of May 14. We will be cleaning stones, weed-eating, clearing brush and debris, mending the fence and general tidying up of the cemetery. I would suggest bringing gallons of water, soft bristle brushes, tree trimmers, gloves and anything else you think may be helpful. If anyone has a small trailer to discard of the growing brush pile we have that would be great as well. Please let me know if you plan to attend you can text or call my cell phone any time!

We hope you will consider a donation to the Bethany Cemetery Association so that we can continue to keep up the maintenance and plan for future improvements. Donations can be sent to PO BOX 51, Bowling Green, MO 63334. Make your check payable to “Bethany Cemetery Association” Also feel free to add if you would like your donation made in memory/honor of someone special! Lastly, remember to keep up with us on our new website which you can also make donations online now too!
http://www.bethanycemeterymo.com and facebook@BethanyCemeteryPikeMO !

Sincerely,
Tracy Brookshier, Secretary 314-971-5886 tbrookshier@pikecountyhealth.org
Lesli Fox, President 412-788-1277 lesliafox78@gmail.com
Patty Dortch, Treasurer 417-496-7153 padortch@yahoo.com

2021 Treasurers Report

INCOME Total: $4,210.28

• General Donations: $1,716.43
• Raffle Ticket Fundraiser: $2,093.85
• T-Shirt Fundraiser: $400.00
  

EXPENSES Total: $2,010.13

• Office Supplies: $21.87
• Fundraiser expenses: $232.37
• Lumber: $10.89
• Mowing: $1,745.00
  
  • 2021 OVERALL TOTAL INCOME: $2,200.15
    BALANCE TOTAL AS OF 12/31/2021: $14,781.00