How is the inaugural supports plaque for the museum coming along?

I finally did receive my package as well. it was nice to finally see the museum book and while I don't care about the "things", at least the promise made was kept, as it should have been all along. Nothing more to say on this. Blessed Be Everyone.

Hello Backers!
I am happy to say I too received my World of Witches Museum package. Thank you Rev. Don Lewis for making this right. I read the program book cover to cover and was impressed with the presentation and the information. I was most happy to see Tituba on the cover, she being the reason that drew to me to be a backer. We can now move forward. Blessed Be.

I received 'the package' yesterday, 2/25/2011. I want to share with you the content of the letter that accompanied the package - note: you will not get a T-shirt or the 6 foot wall poster. Here is the letter:
---
Greetings!
Enclosed please find your Kickstarter gift package. I apologize that is has taken so long to get this to you. We have been somewhat overwhelmed with our situations here in Salem and have fallen behind. There is no excuse for this, and I can only apologize for the long delay and hope that you enjoy your package.

The package includes:
- A Museum pass for a family of five
- A Museum Program book
- Your name on the inaugural plaque at the Museum
- A $25 gift certificate that can be used at the Museum or online at WitchSchoolStore.com

I want to apologize if you are owed a T-shirt as the supplier who was to make these failed to supply them. Rather than wait any longer I thought it better to include the five-member Family pass instead. I do apologize and hope that you will find this satisfactory.

I regret to say that we were unable to get the 6' poster made. The original producer has been unable to provide it, and we have not been able to get it made elsewhere. Rather than wait any longer for this I am substituting a $25 gift certificate that can be used to buy anything you might like at the Museum or online at WitchSchoolStore.com, as well as our Souvenir Photo from the Museum, a Lifetime Pass for one to the Museum, and some art prints.

Thank you very much for your support and very much also for your patience!
Blessing,
(Rev Don's signature)
Rev. Don Lewis
Curator, World of Witches Museum

I contacted Kickstarter one last time. The 2 times I previously contacted them they asked me to be patient and wait for a response from the Project people. Well, no response has been given, yet they can post ten times a day to facebook about the museum and record innumerable items for Witch School, so they do exist, they are alive, they have email and internet access- they CAN respond to people they simply have chosen to ignore my request and Kickstarter's request for response. Between my final contact to Kickstarter and my plea to Salem News to cover this I am done. I encourage you all to take ACTION today and email, call, post to facebook on the WoWM page asking them what gives and why they lied for the past ten months. Nothing delays a business person for ten months in fulfilling something unless they a) closed or b) someone died, neither of which has happened.

2/21/11 UPDATE: CALLING ALL DONORS TO CALL THE SALEM NEWS and ask them to investigate and cover this news story. WoWM took donor money and did not comply with Kickstarter.com rules, and fulfill the promises they made. *** I just put a phone call in to Helen Gifford (Salem News) at the 978-338-2508 number and told her once again what happened, how to reach me and that I am hoping that others will call her to cover this story in Salem. If you are a donor and someone who wants to see kickstarter projects comply with the integrity of the kickstarter site, or if you are a proud pagan and want to see the integrity of our community upheld, then please call to get this news story covered and maybe through that we can find out *why* WoWM can run their museum each day, Witch School is operational each day, but WoWM somehow has taken the money and run, forgetting where they got their funding from. Please call Helen today and convince her that there is a story here. A voicemail service answers,so leave a message and callback number. Thanks.

Rev. Don Lewis seemed like a nice enough person upon meeting him at WoWM in Salem. I'm sure the people behind this are well-meaning and nice, but I agree with Najah in that it's NOT about money, it's about integrity and at this point they should feel embarrassed to a community that supported their efforts. Some people probably did want the items that they were promised and they are certainly due those items. Some may not have cared. It's all about doing what you said you would do when you took people's money. Otherwise, it's stealing and the WoWM is then built on stolen money, which is NOT what pagans would want, not what witches would want. I really hope they can stop lying, making excuses, and simply fulfill the promise they made when they started this campaign. Good people lie. Good people make mistakes. Good people can make it right. Do the right thing WoWM. Please.

Well Backers here's the latest:
I've blogged, posted, tweeted and emailed about this situation. I finally got the attention of Ed Hubbard, who is a sweetheart, and he offered to refund my money. I shared with Ed, it isn't about the money, its about our honor and integrity as Pagans, clergy, believers and backers in this project. Ed shared my sentiments.
Then lo and behold I received an email from Rev. Don Lewis through Kickstarter, apologizing for the delay and saying my package would be mailed to me on January 20, 2011.
Sad to say...It is February 3, 2011 and I have not received my package nor any further communication from Rev. Don Lewis or Witch School.

Najah,
yes, I too was in Salem for Samhain (from Michigan where I now live) and while I visited the store, I did not go into the museum itself. Perhaps if tickets are issued to backers I will go into the museum on my next visit. If I still lived close by I'd volunteer my efforts to assist them in fulfilling the Kickstarter promises. I really don't care too much about a museum ticket, but it's more the principle in that we have a public reputation to uphold as a greater Pagan community. Can anyone local to Salem perhaps ask them about volunteering a few hours of time to wrap this project up for them?

Najah,
Since my last post citing those email addresses, I've heard nothing, and honestly, I do not expect to. Frankly, I'm astonished by all involved that decided to disassociate themselves from their responsibilities. They lured us in with the promise of premiums and have since disappeared. This is not the Way of the Witch. Shame on all of them for cowering behind the veil of the World Wide Web, for taking advantage of trusting people and deceiving them. I say to Ed the Pagan, to Don Lewis, to all involved with this scam from Kickstarter too - - show yourselves, face us that contributed in good faith and tell us exactly what you intend to do. Have some guts and show us you're not like the rest of the common world and make this right.

Hello Vencel,

Thank you for your post! Samhain has come and gone and this still has not been resolved. As a practicing Witch, dedicant of the Goddess and Priestess, I find this to be just shameful! I'm not letting this go and I hope together we can get some answers! I am trying to follow up with this topic through Pagan blogs, etc, and I hope others will do the same. Thankfully this page is still here so we can keep the comments going and keep this live until it is resolved. If I hear anything further I'll be sure to post it here.

Najah,

I was given these email addresses for two authorities at Witch School: donlewishp@aol.com, edthepagan@aol.com, as well as support@witchschool.com. I last contacted them, for the third time on October 23rd; nope, no reply yet.

They need to take some responsibility for their unresolved promises! Instead they just ignore and hope it will go away. I did not even get a quick reply saying, "we're working on it." So, in perhaps poor taste on my own part, I give you the email addresses I was given by maryann@witchschool.com, and I heartily recommend an email campaign demanding answers from those that posed this scam. Yes, I call it a scam!

I'm sorry to be so sour, but an organization that touts, "Go and harm none" should NOT make promises of premiums in order to finagle funds from trusting and unsuspecting members of their institution.

By all means, shower them with your sentiments. They must be held responsible.

Vence

I am glad to see others posting questions about the premiums that were promised and thus not received. I joined the Witch School site, just to ask about the premiums and thus far have only gotten "we're working on it". Yet on Twitter, Witch School continually posts about events being held at the Museum. I just posted the question again on October 3, 2010 and thus far have yet to receive a reply. I am wondering what are our options? I'm sad to see this from Witch School.

@ Wendy - - Very nice of you to inform me, thank you. I'll check out their Facebook page as well.

@Vencel I contacted them through their facebook page and received a fast reply. If you want your tickets you can get them at the door by using your name. The program book is taking longer than they expected.

@Vencel I'm going to Salem this Sunday, if it's not raining. I will find out what's going on and let you know.

@Wendy, No, I haven't received anything nor have I received any email correspondence on when I can expect to. I truly hope we weren't duped here. @ KickStarter and Witch School: Talk to us about the incentives promised!!

Has anyone received anything that was promised to them? I was looking forward to reading the museum program book and the tickets to gain access to the museum. I'm going to Salem this Sunday and I haven't heard anything from them months =(

@Andrea (or who ever is handling the mailings) can you contact me about a correction to the "needs more information about you" email?

Congrats on making and breaking the goal. I think that this is an excellent format for future endeavors that the museum might wish to make in order to raise funds. The next time I am on the East Coast and stop by Salem, I'll be sure to stop in. Bright Blessings. Andrea ~ TheTwoWitches.com

I am so excited and proud of our community for meeting and exceeding the goal. May Prosperity will come to us all!

Whoo-hoo!! Nine days to go and we've exceeded our goal by $304.00!!! Yes indeed! I am so proud to be a backer of this project. I eagerly look forward to visiting Salem again, and seeing the Museum open and my name on a placque as a contributor. This is the fulfillment of many lifetimes. Coming round and out in Salem, MA as practicing Witch and proud of it!! May my Spirit Ancestor Tituba be dancing a happy jig! :)

Please visit my website, it helps me to save money when people purchase from me, I put that money up that I make profit from for a vacation just like this, the one on my wish list:
www.magickalwitchescauldron.com

Brandi LaMere (Oceanaus)

I hope to be able to visit this Museum one day, I will put it on my wish list. Being a single mother, with no father in site makes it hard to save money doing it all alone, but hopefully there will come a day when me and my son will be able to come to Salem to visit. I will be donating $1 so that I can be put on your prosperity altar, Im sure that will help me a great deal. Blessed Be to all who have made this possible. A place where I can bring my child to see the exhibits and learn more.

Blessed Be, Brandi LaMere (Oceanaus)

Excited to be a part of this! I hope the goal is made! Blessed Be

$642 to go...come on we can do it! I too am proud to have backed this project.
Rowan

Salem needs a museum like this. I hope that you reach your $3,000 goal. I'm proud to have backed this project.
-Wendy Joubert

We are so close to the goal. Twenty four days to go.

I made a pledge several weeks ago but am not seeing my name and to be honest I cant remember if I pledged $50 or just $25. If ye find me let me know and if $15 upgrade to $50 please.

I shall continue to pledge as often I can! I wish you well in this wonderful project!

Im going to keep pledging as I can, even though Im in Cali. Im hoping to get out to Salem this year though and see this marvelous accomplishment!

)O(

Let's keep it going fellow Wiccans and all other Pagans. Sixty-eight days to go. If we don't meet this $3000 minimum goal we may not have this venue to tell our truths...

We have made a good start, but we only have 72 more days and $1855 more to go. Please let all of your friends know about this great project.

Come on fellow Wiccans!!! You can spare $5...better yet more. This is a great cause and it is all about us.

I too am honored to be part of this project. Please everyone who reads this: make a pledge so that our Witch history and future can be told in a possitive and truthful view point.
Blessings to all!

We are honored to be a part of this worthwhile and great project! Blessings!

what an op to do something important for the community