Students from St. Stephen School in Oil City visited the Drake Well Museum and Park in May 2024.
TITUSVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Friends of Drake Well, Inc. will participate in this year’s Crawford Heritage Community Foundation’s Crawford Gives campaign.
Crawford Gives will take place over 96 hours, beginning this Saturday, August 24th, and ending at midnight on Tuesday, August 27th. During this time, donors can give to over 100 different nonprofit organizations from Crawford and Venango counties, including Friends of Drake Well, who actively support the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in managing and operating the Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville.
“Our goal for Crawford Gives this year is to raise $5,000,” says Emily Weaver, executive director of Friends of Drake Well.
“We plan to use all funds received during the campaign to cover transportation costs for schools and student groups visiting the Drake Well Museum and Park during the 2024-25 school year.”
The organization raised nearly $2,000 through last year’s Crawford Gives drive, which also went toward school transportation costs. School tours of the Drake Well Museum have been declining since the COVID pandemic. After receiving feedback from educators and school districts that it was simply too expensive for schools to take students on field trips, Drake Well decided to try a different tactic.
“We decided to offer free admission and the option to cover transportation costs to all schools and student groups,” Weaver says. “We used funds from various grants and foundations, including funds from Crawford Gives.”
The project was a success. In the 2023-24 school year, over 1,300 students visited the Drake Well Museum and Park – a huge increase from previous years. Weaver plans to continue offering the free admission and transportation program for as long as possible. The funds received through Crawford Gives could help with that goal.
Similar to fundraising campaigns in larger markets like Erie and Pittsburgh, donations made during Crawford Gives are prorated to help donations reach even further. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, Allegheny Realty Settlement, INC, Shafer Law Firm, Armstrong and Palmiero Toyota, additional prorated amounts are added to all gifts received through Crawford Gives to make the donation’s impact even greater.
To donate by credit card during Crawford Gives, go to www.crawfordgives.org between midnight on Saturday, August 24 and 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27. You can then select the organizations you would like to donate to, including Friends of Drake Well, and allocate a dollar amount to each organization before entering your credit card information. Donors may also donate by check, but must mail a check donation form to Crawford Gives no later than August 27. Visit the Crawford Gives website for more information. Donations received through Crawford Gives are fully tax deductible in accordance with applicable federal and state laws.
