Dear NAKS Members,
As we announced in the Summer Newsletter, NAKS has received
a very generous donation of $41,000 from Henry Allison’s family (his wife Nora
and his daughter Renee Nash) in his memory and in honor of his contributions to
Kant scholarship. We thank them again
for their beneficence! In a sign of our
appreciation, NAKS is renaming the Senior Scholar Prize the Henry Allison
Senior Scholar Prize.
The Allison family donation constitutes the core of the
newly formed Cheerful Philanthropist Fund.
Being good Kantians, we know what you are thinking: acting in conformity
with the duty of beneficence will lack moral worth if it is done merely from an
inner satisfaction in spreading joy, rather than acting from duty. But let us assure you that cheerfulness is
not incompatible with acting from duty, and we always hope that you will be cheerful!
The principal of The Cheerful Philanthropist Fund will be
preserved and invested, and earnings will be used to fund many NAKS activities
and to expand opportunities for NAKS members.
For example, we hope to increase our conference travel stipends for
graduate students and junior faculty without their own research funds.
We are now starting a fundraiser to complement the Allison
family donation, and we hope that you will contribute whatever you can in order
to help promote Kant scholarship, in the spirit of Henry Allison’s many contributions
to the field. NAKS is kicking off the
fund drive by transferring $5,000 from its modest current reserves to The
Cheerful Philanthropist Fund, for a starting total of $46,000. Although this is a terrific start, that
amount in a safe and responsible investment will not yield overwhelming sums
($2,300 at 5%, for example). This will
definitely help us meet our annual budget, but we hope to raise at least as
much again, which will allow us to continue our activities and to expand the
support we provide to Kant scholarship and NAKS members.
We are looking for any size donation, starting from $10,
$20, or anything you can afford and feel moved to contribute – with over 500
members, smaller donations add up. We
will also have a NAKS Donor Page to acknowledge larger contributions people
have made – $100 or more – noting the level of those contributions. You can, of course, remain anonymous if you
choose. And you may also dedicate the
contribution if you wish – in memory or honor of Henry Allison, or someone else. But again, we appreciate any and all
contributions at any level; all of us together can have a large impact.
Please contribute to make NAKS stronger and help us promote
Kant scholarship throughout North America and beyond!
You can make your contribution at our donation webpage:
https://northamericankantsociety.org/donate
Please specify in the comments section that you would like
it to be added to The Cheerful Philanthropist Fund; if it is $100 or more, please
let us know if you would prefer it to be anonymous or if you would like to
donate in someone’s honor. If you would
like to make a larger donation and would like to discuss it with us, please
feel free to contact Daniel Sutherland at his personal email address: sutherla@uic.edu.
