The latest issue of Cheers!, the newsletter published by the Flannery O’Connor Society of the American Literature Association, includes an appeal to the organization’s members to contribute to the matching funds campaign initiated by a challenge gift from one of its members.  That anonymous donor, who is also a Friend of Andalusia,  has agreed to match all gifts from the O’Connor Society members to the Flannery O'Connor - Andalusia Foundation up to a total of $10,000.  This same donor has already given $5,000 toward the construction of the peafowl aviary.  The money raised from this effort will help with the aviary and with the maintenance work needed on the main house.  The Society is allowing gifts to the Foundation to count as membership dues for the Society members from November 1, 2009 to November 1, 2010.  We are very grateful to the Society, especially the anonymous donor, along with Avis Hewitt (Cheers! editor) and the Society President, Robert Donahoo, who wrote: “This is an exciting opportunity for the O’Connor Society to make a lasting and tangible contribution to future generations of O’Connor readers and fans.  So I encourage you to be as generous as you can be – as generous as Flannery would be.”

The Cheers! newsletter features O'Connor-related articles, interviews, book reviews, calls for papers, and more.  Foundation donors interested in receiving the Cheers! newsletter should contact Robert Donahoo at the following address:

Robert Donahoo
Department of English
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX  77341