Treasure Hunt
..
TOWN CLERK
Chris Masterson
TOWN SUPERVISOR
Christopher J. Colse)'
20 MlDDLEBLJSH ROAD
WAPPD-iGERS FALLS, NY 12590
WWW.TOWNOFWAPPTNGER.US
(845) 297-4158 - Main
(845) 297-577] - Direct
(845) 298-]478 - Fax
TOWN BOARD
William H. Beale
Vincent Bettina
lsmay Czamiecki
Joseph P. Paoloni
Svonsor Packet Letter
OVERVIEW
It is with great pleasure that I announce that a project more than two years in the making has come to
fruition and will take place this summer. As Town Clerk for the Town of Wappinger, it has I:llways been a pet
peeve of mine that there is very little attention given and interest taken with regards to the history of the Town
of Wappinger. While it is true that there have been many great volunteers gathering and organizing historical
items pertaining to the Village ofWappingers Falls, the history of the Town as a whole has generally been
neglected. In order to provide incentive to our residents to get out and explore the great Town of Wappinger
and to discover the history that is right under our collective noses, I've put together a Treasure Hunt covering all
sections of the 28.6 square miles of the Town.
COMPONENTS
The Treasure Hunt will take just over 2 months to complete. It will have about 7 main stages and three
interspersed bonus stages. The stages will involve cryptic puzzles, codes and ciphers. We'll be using
everything from video clues to cardano grills to invisible ink. It will be targeted to elementary school-aged
children and their immediate family. There will be no cost to participate.
The theme of the Treasure Hunt is based on a legend of buried treasure, belonging to the infamous
Captain Kidd, right here in the Town of Wappinger. As part of the finale, which will take place at the Town of
Wappinger Community Day, projected for September 17ili, I am trying to line up a special guest, children's
book author Peter Lourie. Mr. Lourie wrote a fictional novel based on the very same Captain Kidd and his
treasure mmored to be buried along the banks of the Hudson River. In the three days leading up to Community
Day, I am also attempting to line up visits to local elementary schools. During those visits, Mr. Lourie will
typically have large scale assemblies, where he'l! tell stories about his adventures in remote areas ofthe planet.
Following the assemblies, he'll break off into workshops where he'll give expert instruction on the art of
creative writing.
SPONSORSIllP OPPURTUNlTIES
I am reaching out to my community partners, the businesses and organizations in the Town of
Wappinger to help me provide a fun, safe, and free family adventure this summer. This is a opportunity for you
to help provide our residences with a community based adventure. The planning stages for the Treasure Hunt
are coming to a close and we'll be posting our first clue before you know it. That is why I am reaching out to
you now. To make this event for our community a success I need your help. The Great Wappinger Treasure
Hunt needs you. Please consider helping sponsor our event. Weare seeking monetary donations, product, and
gift certificates. All donations will be used to enhance the event for the participants. A wards for the participants,
the cost of Peter Lourie's visit, T-shirts and advertising materials such as banners, flyers and posters. For
product donations, we primarily request family friendly gift certificates. Our current target level for fundraising
is $10,000.
To achieve this $10,000 goal, we need one Major Event Sponsor. Please consider this sponsorship level
of $1 000. The Major Event Sponsor will have top billing on event banner, T-shirts, print and social media, and
will be listed in subordinate position to a Silver Sponsor on the clue for eacb stage in the Treasure Hunt.
Sponsorship levels are as follows:
~
The Great Wappinger Treasure Hunt Sponsorship Opportunities
Diamond Sponsors $500 Will have secondary billing on the same materials noted in the Major Event
Sponsor description.
Gold Sponsors $250 Will be listed, in subordinate position to the Event Sponsor and Gold Sponsors, on
all T-Shirts, print and social media
Silver Sponsors $100 Will be a "Stage Sponsor" and will receive top billing on the clue for a specific
stage. Silver Sponsors will also be listed in selected print and social media.
Bronze Sponsors $50.00 Will be listed on selected print and social media.
Wappani Wampum up to $49.00 certificates of appreciation to those residents and businesses
Contingency plans are in place so that the event will occur even if we fall short of the $10,000 goal. In the case that more than
$10,000 is raised, adjustments to the prizes will be made to limit the residual funds. Any remaining funds will be donated to the
Town of Wanninger Recreation Committee at a regularly scheduled Recreation Committee Meeting.
BENEFIT OF DONATING
Aside from the obvious good-will accrued in participating in an enjoyable and educational community
activity, sponsors should expect to gain significant exposure both in the advertising of the event, the conduct of
the event and the fmale at Community Day. While the current plan is to invite children and families residing in
the Town of Wappinger only, it should be noted that several hundred children attend the annual Town of
Wappinger summer camps. Additionally, several thousand people, both residents and non-residents, attend the
Town of Wappinger Community Day each year. For such a unique event, the first of its kind in this area, I
expect the attention given will be significant.
OUTREACH AND FUNDRAISING EXPERIENCE
As Town Clerk for the past six years I have been involved with several value-added programs for the
residents and neighbors of the Town of Wappinger. We have participated in the Annual USMCR Toys for Tots
drive since 2005. We launched a toiletries drive to benefit the residents affected by Hurricane Katrina, with all
donations forwarded to the American Red Cross. From 2007 to 2009 we have been in the Venison Donation
Coalition's "Top Ten Club" for being among the top ten donation-getters in all of New York State. We have
had five very successful Rabies and Microchipping Clinics, attracting pet owners from numerous municipalities
across 4 Hudson Valley counties. As an individual I have been involved annually with raising money and
volunteering for the Special Olympics Polar Plunge and the MDA "Day in the Big House".
SUMMARY
With my time as Town Clerk coming to a voluntary close in less than 8 months, I would like for this
Treasure Hunt to be the most successful event yet. The events and activities that we've conducted were as
successful as they were due to the skills, enthusiasm, endurance and devotion of a top-notch assembly of
employees and volunteers. Once again, we are building a strong committee to see this project through. I assure
those of you that decide to take part and contribute to this event, in any manner, that I, and the growing team of
volunteers, will give our all to ensure the success of this event and a return on your generous investment.
I thank you in advance for taking the time to read through this letter and supporting materials. Please
contact me at the phone number or email address listed in the header if you would like to discuss this plan in
more detail. In a time where families are struggling and hope is a bit dim, let's make sure that the children of
our Town have the opportunity to have a summer that they'll not soon forget.
~
C is asterson
Town of Wappinger Treasure Hunt
Schedule of Events
April 1 st - April 30th
Planning Phase
Write Stage Clues
Find/Restore Treasure Chest
Confirm Coordination with Certain Stage Locations (Grinnell} Sports Museum} Little League} etc)
May 1st - May 31st
Seek Sponsors
Design Banner} Flyers, Poster, Etc
Arrange Peter Lourie Visit with Local Schools
Design Method to Decide Winners (Point Schedule)
Find Awards, Prizes and Gift Certificates for Treasure Hunters
June 23rd (Thursday)
Last Day of School for Students
June 27th (Monday)
Summer Camps Open
Treasure Hunt Sign-Ups Opens
June 27th - July 11th
Put Out Posters and Hand Out Flyers
July 12th
Visit Castle Point Summer Camp, Hand Out Flyers and Show Unearthing Video
July 13th
Visit Quiet Acres Summer Camp, Hand Out Flyers and Show Unearthing Video
July 14th
Visit Spook Hill Summer Camp, Hand Out Flyers and Show Unearthing Video
July 15th
Post Unearthing Video to Town Website
July 18th (Monday)
Post Press Conference
July 25th (Monday)
Release the Clue for Stage 1 (Town Hall/Video/Captain Kidd)
August 1st (Monday)
Release Clue for Stage 2 (Robinson Lane)
Post "Sponsored By" and clue to website
August 8th (Monday)
Release Clue for Stage 3 (Grinnell Library)
Post "Sponsored By" and clue to website
August 15th (Monday)
Release Clue for Stage 4 (Reese Park)
Post "Sponsored By" and clue to website
August 22nd (Monday)
Release Clue for Stage 5 (Dutchess County Sports Museum)
Post }}Sponsored By" and clue to website
August 29th (Monday)
Release Clue for State 6 (Mesier Homestead)
Post "Sponsored By" and clue to website
September 5th (Monday)
Release clue for Stage 7 (Old Hundred)
Post "Sponsored By" and clue to website
September 12th (Monday)
Release final clue for finale at Community Day
Post "Sponsored By" and clue to website
September 17th (Saturday)
Community Day - Booth, Actor, Banner, Unveiling, Presentation of Awards & Certificates
September 21st (Wednesday)
Publish Letter to the Editor - SON, POJO, Website
September 22nd (Thursday)
Transfer remaining funds to Recreation Committee