Dear Friend:

Tom has been visiting Presque Isle State Park since he was a boy. As a teenager, he worked summers on the maintenance crew of the park. Our family has spent countless hours picnicking, swimming, hiking and biking on the peninsula.

Like many others, Tom is in awe of Presque Isle's beauty and is proud of its place as the crown jewel of Pennsylvania's state park system.

We're so excited to see the center become a reality, especially because it's happening through a unique partnership of public and private resources, colleges and universities, tourism promotion agencies, environmental organizations and public servants.

Over the next three to five years, the Friends of the Tom Ridge Center hope to raise $3 million in private funds. Invested prudently, their contributions will generate an estimated $125,000 in income per year. These funds will be used to expand and enhance the Center's educational programs, museum exhibits and research opportunities.

Please consider becoming a Friend of the Tom Ridge Center and help make this world-class facility on the Great Lakes a success.

Warmest regards,

Michele Ridge