How your support brings happiness to many

Please renew your commitment to Road Scholar’s lifelong learning mission with a donation. [Road Scholar]( Your Support in 2021 Will Make All the Difference [Please Donate]( Dear {NAME}, There are hundreds of thousands of Road Scholars at home right now. Here is the story of one I want to share with you … Margaret lives in the same home in Nebraska where she raised her two children. She taught English in a small high school, while her husband George taught history. Sadly, George passed away soon after their retirement. They loved the theater, and had dreams to one day visit the great stages of Broadway. This year has been hard for Margaret. She used to volunteer regularly with a literacy program, reading to elementary school students every week, but she doesn’t feel safe doing that now. Her grandchildren live a plane ride away, so she has not seen anyone in her family in person for almost a year. It breaks her heart and she misses them dearly, but she is being very cautious these days, mostly staying to herself. I know Margaret’s story, because she wrote me a thank you note. She was writing to thank Road Scholar for an extraordinary experience she recently had—the happiest week of her life since the pandemic began. On a whim, Margaret enrolled in an online Road Scholar program this fall. It was about theater in the West End of London and was led by Giles Ramsay, a Road Scholar instructor who is a popular theater expert. She loved it. She loved watching the plays. She loved the discussion with Giles. She loved the conversation with her fellow participants, and discussing their favorite plays. I’m sharing Margaret’s story with you, because I know you believe in Road Scholar’s mission, and this year we need the support of our entire community more than ever. Since the pandemic began and we have not been able to operate any travel-based programs since the spring, we had to rely on the generosity of our community to see us through. Today, we need your support more than ever. It has been nearly a year since we offered our last program before the travel restrictions went into place. To survive for this length of time, we have had to reduce the size of our team, reduce all of the remaining staff’s salaries and tap into the reserves we had built over the years. Now, we need your support to help us weather this storm. You have been there for us before. [Can we count on you again]( Margaret’s experiences — learning, expanding her circle of friends and exploring her passions in life — are echoed by thousands of other lifelong learners who have participated in our online programs. They write to thank us for engaging their minds and enriching their lives during this challenging time. And I thank you — because we couldn’t do any of this without you. Our fundraising goal for 2021 is $1.7 million. That’s a challenging goal, but [with your support we will reach it](. We are planning for the day when we can resume our discovery of the world in person. As more and more people get vaccinated that day is getting closer and closer. With your donation, we can serve older adults like Margaret today and do the work we need to do to welcome you and the rest of our community into the world again when you are ready. Now more than ever, Road Scholar is relying on the generosity of those who believe in our mission to help ensure that we can continue providing transformational learning opportunities for decades to come. Thank you for your support. If you miss the excitement of discovery … if you miss the spark of joy that comes with newfound knowledge … if you miss meeting others who share your love of new experiences and exploring new places and new ideas — then we need you to make what you miss into what you can do next. Thank you for your support. With my warmest wishes, James Moses President [Please Donate]( At not-for-profit Road Scholar, we are driven by our mission. [Our Mission]( See all the ways you can support Road Scholar. [Learn more]( [Guidestar]( [BBB Wise Giving Alliance]( Road Scholar programs are made possible by tax-deductible support from our participants and other friends. [View online]( © 2021 Elderhostel Road Scholar educational adventures are created by Elderhostel, the not-for-profit world leader in educational travel since 1975. [Unsubscribe]( • [Update Your Preferences]( • [Privacy Policy]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( 1-800-454-5768 11 Avenue de Lafayette Boston, MA 02111