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Because the arts change People's livesI just received the fabulous email below from the Ventura County Arts Council in California. It's an excellent way to raise funds in advance of the grants panel meeting, with the intention of giving more grants. I'm contributing $50 to this effort and am sending it out broadly so that you can send this out to your networks as an example of effective fundraising practice. If you or anyone in your networks would like to make a small donation of $5 or $10 or another amount as both a thank you for the idea and as a way to improve people's lives through the work of individual artists, that would be appreciated as well. To donate: From: info@venturacountyartscouncil.org Ventura County Arts Council - Artists in Community Partnerships - Grants Program Investing in our county by partnering qualified, accomplished artists from all disciplines with non-arts county agencies or organizations to address important community issues. Fed. ID: 77-0450542 A PERSONAL DONATION OF $39* WILL DO IT Click on this link to donate: http://tiny.cc/vcacbecause THE 2010 APPLICATIONS ARE IN and are in the hands of our expert review panel who must decide within the next two weeks which applications have met the guidelines and the mission for this innovative Artists in Community Partnership Program. We would like to share with you the intentions of this outstanding group of talented artists who exhibit the true spirit of community. Because art is "the antidote to the anxiety of the sterile and isolating environment" of a hospital, one applicant proposes a project to maintain, enrich, and advance the art program at Ojai Valley Community Hospital. Because soldiers' stories of their combat experiences remain vivid and raw for decades, one applicant, proposes a theater piece, developed through interviews with veterans from WW II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Because preserving our natural beauty is important to the livability of our county, one applicant proposes working with Ojai Land Conservancy and Ormond Beach Wetlands Preserve to paint retablos of the most iconic flora and fauna which will be published as giclee prints and sold to create funding streams for both sites Because it is important to expose young people to the benefits of the arts, one applicant is working with the Boys & Girls Club and the Oxnard Downtown Management District to do a series of free art classes in Downtown Oxnard. An exhibit will follow inside Downtown stores and restaurants. Because all parents want to raise successful children, one applicant proposes working with families to raise literacy levels through storytelling and parenting workshops. Because strong character and leadership skills are traits of successful adults, one applicant proposes partnering with City Impact and the Oxnard Rescue Mission to present a 12 session course, using the arts as a transformative tool with at-risk youth and recovering adult addicts. Because world peace tops everyone's wish list, one applicant proposes to work with young people at the Boys & girls Club to create "1,000 Cranes for Peace" (an origami paper folding project) as the centerpiece for a local celebration of World Peace Day August 6th -- the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Because we feel everyone should have a place to call home,one applicant proposes to produce a dynamic performance piece in which members of the homeless community reveal their stories accompanied by jazz improvisations. Because it is important for youth to participate in activities under the guidance of a responsible adult, one applicant proposes to provide visual arts classes at Oxnard's Downtown Center for the Arts where students can continue the visual arts studies they began while incarcerated in the county juvenile facility, plus other students who also wish to take the classes. Because so many animals are never adopted, one applicant proposes to add whimsical animal sculptures to the county animal shelter campus to make it more inviting to the public and help encourage the adoption of shelter pets. More than 11,000 passed through the county shelter last year. Because the arts enrich us across our life-span, one applicant proposes to create an exterior mosaic mural at a Senior Center by involving the seniors who attend classes and take meals at the center in the creation of the mural. Because empowerment is an important tool to help youth confront and overcome negative issues in their lives, one applicant proposes to use street theater to engage "at-promise youth," actors, artists, and community members to effect change as was done in the 60's by Cesar Chavez and others. Because the children of low-income migrant families struggle academically due to the lack of basic literacy skills, one applicant proposes an integrated "Learning Wall" mural which will facilitate learning at a pre-school center. Students, parents and teachers will participate in the process and will celebrate the completion of the mural. So, we now reach out to you to help us raise the urgently needed final $7,500 in the next two weeks. Achieving this milestone will bring the total to $30,000 available to fund the most compelling of these proposals. A PERSONAL DONATION OF $39 WILL DO IT! If each person who receives this message responds with a donation of $39 we will reach our goal. We hope this will be within your budget. If not, please contribute what you can. Others may be able to contribute more. We will greatly appreciate whatever amount you can manage. Click on this link to donate: http://tiny.cc/vcacbecause The important thing is that you ACT NOW because these programs are so worthwhile and vital to the well being and overall strength of our communities. If you have any questions, please give us a call at (805) 658-2213 or online at info@venturacountyartscouncil.org. Sincerely, Elisse Pogofsky-Harris Margaret Travers |