, First-Vice President, Programs, has this to say:

Most of you already know Burt Wolf through his "Travels and Traditions" programs on public television and you may also know of his work raising funds for PBS stations across the United States.  Bill & I signed on for one of Burt's river tours last year and were delighted with the quality of the program. set up and run by Burt and by the ship and the amenities that were included in the program.  All were top notch.  Receiving a letter from Burt at the end of the year that a portion of what we'd paid for the trip was tax deductible made us realize that there are times when you can have a great experience and at the same time benefit a charitable organization.

As a result our personal experience, I contacted Burt's company to find out if they'd be interested in helping PBKNCA offer a similar program and they have agreed to work with us.

The seven-page Provence brochure has been provided to us by Burt's company and they have told me that I can share it with you even though it is not "official" until the end of this month or very early in October. 

If you are interested in participating in this boat cruise please either email me or call me so that I can get an idea of the number of members who might be interested in signing up.  Email me by clicking , or call my home phone 530-297-7150 or my cell phone 707-696-9498.  If you choose to call me and I don't answer, please leave a clear message including your name and a number where I can reach you.

Once the brochure is released I will be able to provide you with the information you will need in order to reserve a cabin on the boat, but until that time, knowing how many of us are interested will be a tremendous help in getting this new "adventure" off on the right foot.

Thanks for considering this opportunity to help us strengthen our scholarship and teaching excellence funds.  And, by the way, if the dates for this cruise don't work for you, I have been told that if you reserve for one of the seven other cruises being run in 2011, so long as you identify yourself as a PBKNCA member, we will receive the donation anyway—the only thing is that you'll miss the terrific opportunity of sailing with your fellow PBKNCA members.