Writing Samples in Various Formats
Excerpt from Essay Published 1988
The dream began, or might have, with a smooth stone. On the ground untouched, it was inert and useless. In a human hand, it acquired a kind of life. It could crack a nut. It could be shaped. Struck on another stone, it could make sparks which, catching on dry tinder, could make fire. With careful use, it became an extension of the hand, giving its holder a power over the environment undreamt of among animals which did not use tools.
Picking up that first stone and using it as a tool were not in themselves revolutionary acts. Other animals—most notably chimpanzees—use tools, but, for whatever reasons, they do not go beyond the simplest. Looking at a smooth stone, seeing in it not just one but many possibilities, learning to use it for more than one function, learning from using one tool that one might find or make other tools—these were acts of high genius. There is no parallel for them among other species. They are our glory—and our curse.
For the stone which could be shaped could be thrown to kill. It could be sharpened and, attached to a straight branch, become a yet more effective instrument of death. In a world where humans lived by hunting, the sharpened stone was necessary for survival. But in that same world, it could be used to hunt other human beings.
Copyright (c) 1998 by Robert A. Seeley
Excerpt from a grant proposal
This is a proposal for a grant to enable Kensington Skills Development Center to set up and operate a Work Skills Training center under Philadelphia's Welfare-to-Work program. The proposed grant would fund setup costs, plus two months' operating costs so that the program can proceed until contract reimbursement commences. With the new facilities proposed below, KSDC will be able to serve up to 240 participants per cycle under contract from the Private Industry Council. KSDC's primary income following setup will come from expense reimbursements. To establish the program on a sound footing for long-term work, we hope to do additional fundraising so that we will eventually have some months' operating costs in reserve.
The Problem
The Kensington Skills Development Center is located in one of the most deprived neighborhoods of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia County Assistance Office currently services 10,457 cases, or 32,000 persons, in KSDC's catchment area. Under new welfare rules set to take full effect on March 1, 1999, nearly all of these people will be required to find employment in order to continue receiving benefits, with the ultimate goal of moving welfare recipients into the world of work.
Most welfare recipients, although willing to work, face substantial obstacles in finding employment. Many lack marketable skills or even basic education. Some have difficulty with English; others have not completed their high school work; still others have the equivalent of a fourth grade education or less.
Welfare recipients as a group have little experience of success and much of failure and defeat. Faced with the loss of their benefits, many will simply give up unless they can find educational help and support services. Providing such services is the goal of this project.
Direct mail appeal prepared for a Philadelphia-area hospital
Dear Friend,
To heal the body, the mind, and the spirit. At ***** Hospital, that has always been our commitment and our challenge. We are called to treat people, not cases—to restore the health of their bodies and the wholeness of their spirits. It is difficult, exacting work, demanding from each of us the highest degree of professionalism, dedication, and strength.
Now our resolve is being tested anew. And we need your help.
The facts are simple. In this era of deficits and diminished resources, Congress is considering reductions in funding for Medicare and Medicaid. We do not know what proposal will emerge from the current deliberations. We do know that cuts in these vital programs are likely. We know that many of our patients will suffer. Some of them may seek treatment reluctantly, or not at all, because they fear they will not be able to pay.
At ***** Hospital, we do not turn away patients in need. We treat all regardless of ability to pay. That, too, is our commitment. It is a promise we mean to keep, just as we intend to maintain our wide variety of preventive health care and community health education programs. We can do no less.
We cannot, however, ignore the realities. Cuts in Medicare and Medicaid funds will place new demands on our resources. To make up the difference, we must depend on the support of concerned people like you.
Your tax-deductible gift to ***** Hospital can help us to reach out to patients of all ages—to build a healthy community of healthy citizens. Here are a few examples.
• Our Maternity Suite provides a full range of family-centered services to mothers and babies, from nutrition counseling for expectant mothers to followup care after delivery.
• Our Women's Health programs help women to understand their bodies and their special needs and maintain good health throughout their lives.
• Our Home Health program reaches out to recovering patients, providing essential services and family support in their homes.
• Our Speakers Bureau offers free educational programs on topics ranging from looking one's best to heart health.
Your support in the past has made possible these programs and many others like them. You have helped to make ***** Hospital a vital part of the community it serves.
Now we ask you to join with us in meeting the new challenges we face. With your help, we can meet our commitments. We can keep our promises. We can continue to heal our patients and our community in body, in mind, and in spirit.
Please send your tax-deductible contribution today. And please be as generous as you can.