As the Militant goes to press, $79,235 has been collected, with the amount pledged at $181,000, just over the target.

“Our progress means double-pane windows can be installed now rather than later. Full collection of all the money pledged to the fund is needed by January 31, to buy the construction materials necessary to keep the volunteer crew working and on the schedule that will ensure the project is completed by the end of February,” said Joel Britton, who is one of the one of the four national chairpersons of the Appeal, along Arrin Hawkins, Martín Koppel, and Janice Prescott.

“We are urging supporters in every area to get in as much of the total as possible over the next few days, as we continue to get new pledges and contributions to make sure we go over the top,” said Britton in a January 18 interview. Compounding the challenge of full collection is the fact that a number of contributors had their checks returned by the post office. “The building where the headquarters will be located is a dual entrance building,” said Britton. “The post office,” however, “does not recognize both entries for mail delivery as we had originally thought, and some checks were returned as a result. For this reason, less than $6,000 was received last week. Please send your checks again.” (See correct address in box below.)

Britton, along with Dave Prince from New York, met with a number of supporters of the appeal in San Diego and Los Angeles during the second week of January.

“A supporter of the fund in Waco, Texas, told his aunt in San Diego about the project, which she had been following in the Militant,” he said. As a result, she made a $100 contribution. “She was ready to make a contribution when we met with her, but appreciated seeing the souvenir program from the December 15 public meeting that launched the fund.” She looked through the booklet, which includes the photo signature from Rebelión Teamster, commented on the importance of the 1934 Teamster strikes, and asked for a copy of the program. In her 80s today, this SWP supporter said her father was a participant in the first Russian revolution.

Another San Diego area supporter increased her contribution by $150 to $225 during the discussion, said Britton. “She had pledged $50 based on a phone call several weeks ago when we first raised the idea of a trip to San Diego, but had sent in a check for $75. This is one of many examples of people increasing their contributions when they hear more about our needs,” Britton said, “including installing new double-pane windows on the new premises now as opposed to later.”

The construction crew has just laid down bright, colorful tile in the kitchen and entryway of the new headquarters, said Chris Hoeppner, one of the organizers of the construction crew. The plumbing for the new kitchen is progressing, as is the sheetrocking of the walls (dry walling). There will be a lot of windows in the internal walls of the offices in the new premises, and the glass will be delivered from the manufacturer this week for installation, he noted.

On Friday, January 16, crew members participated in a second lively class on “The Myth of Women’s Inferiority” organized by the New York SWP branch. It was part of a series on Problems of Women’s Liberation, a Pathfinder book by Evelyn Reed.

Party supporters have organized several evening meals for the crew that have provided delicious dinners at a modest cost to help reduce the expenses for the volunteers’ stay in New York.

Volunteers have come from California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington state, and Washington, D.C. Workers on the crew with construction skills are training those with less experience on how to do a professional job. More volunteers are welcome, Hoeppner said. Those with experience in painting, electrical work, and carpentry are especially needed in order to stay on schedule, as some volunteers go back to their jobs after a stint on the crew, he emphasized.

On January 18 several crew members took time out to talk to the Militant about the volunteer project.

Thanasis Kostopoulos, a Queens, New York, construction contractor, has been a great asset to the project, volunteering several times a week and putting his skills to work, helping to organize crews. “I met the Socialist Workers Party in D.C. at a protest march,” he told the Militant. “I was handed a lot of leaflets and a fellow who said he was from Brooklyn handed me the Militant. I read a little of it and I agreed with everything I read. So I signed up to get a subscription. I went to some forums and meetings.

“Chris Hoeppner called me recently at home and told me about this new project. Because I’m in the construction business, they asked if I had any ideas and pointers,” Kostopoulos said. “I had helped on the previous temporary office and knew the kind of work they could do and the help they would need. It’s been enjoyable. The fact that many volunteers are not skilled could be a problem, but not here.”

Jorge García, a 21-year old Cuban-born worker from Atlanta, joined the crew for the long weekend. “I found out about Pathfinder through a search on the computer,” he said in an interview. “Before that I didn’t know there was a bookstore that sold communist books by Marx, Engels, and Lenin, and on the Cuban revolution. I came to a meeting in this space on December 14. A lot has been done since. We are all volunteers working together,” said García, who has been assigned to work on the plumbing.

Pete Musser, a Pittsburgh Young Socialist, joined the crew January 8 and will be staying several weeks. “I’ve learned a bunch of new things working on the crew that is installing the cable to be used for computers and telephones,” he said. “I had never done low voltage wiring before. I now know a few things about wiring, taping, being disciplined, and functioning as part of a team.”

Musser said he has especially liked the class series being organized by the New York SWP branch. “The class series in New York on Problems of Women’s Liberation have been very good,” he said. “The discussions have been excellent. It’s not just young comrades or older comrades participating, you get the spectrum of views.”

Michael Ortega, 17, a senior at a Newark, New Jersey, high school, has asked to join the Young Socialists. “I decided to commit every Sunday to helping out on the construction,” he said. “Everything I do here, I have to learn here first. I’ve done framing, sheetrocking, insulation, and other work.”

Another volunteer, Claudio Sánchez, said, “We have made real progress on the bookstore here and now we are moving the wall to put up a coat rack that will extend past the bathrooms. We had to remove the sheetrock and wires to do it, but we are making real progress. After Floyd Fowler left to return to his job in Atlanta, I replaced him in heading this up. When people leave they are confident that their relief will finish the job well.”

Sánchez, a construction worker in New York, decided January 20 to volunteer full time for the rest of the project.

Chessie Molano from San Francisco was working with Willie Cotton from Atlanta on framing a wall that will be soundproofed. “It’s easier to build a whole wall from scratch than to take one that is partially built and work with it,” she said. “I had a week off because of a garment plant shutdown and decided to stay. We could not organize this kind of project without people taking time off work.”

“This is the first time I have done volunteer work,” said Maribel Sánchez, also from New York. “Everything is new to me and very satisfying. Today I worked on securing the tiles in the kitchen. I agreed to come and help because I enjoy working with comrades and agree with socialist principles.”

Correct address for appeal
306 W. 37th St., 10th floor
New York, NY 10018-2852
Please send your checks to this address

See progress in appeal  
 
 
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