Let's keep a good thing going. Let's keep a good thing growing!
To the Editor:
The second annual Shot in the Arm Campaign is here; the time of year when we remind you of the important role you play in making things happen here at The Cooperage; the time of year we write to ask you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Cooperage Project.
Take a minute. Think about the last time you visited The Cooperage. Perhaps it was for our Farmers’ Market. Or the annual Wayne County Arts Alliance Halloween Bash. Or a lively musical performance. Perhaps you stepped up to share your talent at our Open Mic Night or kicked up your heels at our Contra Dance. Whenever it was, we trust that you enjoyed the event, engaged with friends, and went home with a smile.
We’ve said it before...we believe that strong communities are built upon strong relationships. We strive to facilitate connections between people. Our hope is that as folks spend time together — at a market, a lecture, a DIY workshop — they may come to develop friendships and that those friendships will, over time, lead to good things for them personally and for our community.
Since we opened our doors, the way we’ve gone about things has been unusual. We haven’t sold admission tickets. Owners and managers of venues sell tickets for admission to their events and activities. It works well for them. The thing is, we’re not running a venue. It’s not what we do.
The Cooperage Project is a community venture. The Cooperage building is a community space. When you and your family and friends gather at The Cooperage building — to have fun, to learn something new, to do good things — you are a part of The Cooperage Project. Together we are all supporting its mission because we’re invested in an idea.
Your ‘at the door’ donations have helped us meet some of the costs associated with our roster of concerts, workshops, film screenings, theatre, and lectures and readings. Expenses such as event staffing; prep and clean-up; and compensation for performers, instructors, and speakers are often, though not always, covered. However, other event-related costs are not met by donations alone and general expenses pose an on-going challenge.
We are turning to you for help.
The funds we hope to raise through our annual Shot in the Arm Campaign will provide broad-based support. They will enable us to meet our routine operating expenses including staff compensation; insurance premiums; utilities, heating and cooling costs; trash pickup; snow removal; the purchase of equipment and supplies; and maintenance and repairs.
And, of course, your support will allow us to build upon all three of our programming areas: Learning Opportunities, Good Times/Good Works Gatherings, and Performance Events. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work.
Are you in?
One simple proposition underlies everything we do. We’re in this together. We all have a stake. This is the idea that got The Cooperage Project going in the first place. It’s the idea that keeps it going today. And, with all of us pitching in, it’s the idea that will keep it going through the years ahead.
Danielle Hoffman, Executive Director
The Cooperage
thecooperageproject.org