The Ithaca Festival Needs Your Help
Dear Fellow Ithacans,
I'm writing to you today to ask you to help me in supporting the Ithaca Festival. As you probably know, the Ithaca Festival 2008 was, financially, a devastating failure, and the future of the festival is now perilous. Pointing fingers and determining blame for this extreme loss is not going to make the money magically reappear, though, so I'm not going to waste my time or yours in doing so.
As of a couple of weeks ago, I was elected to be the new President of the Ithaca Festival Board of Directors. Alongside my good friend Jes Seaver, who has been hired as the Ithaca Festival Executive Director, I think we'll be able to put the festival somewhat back on track, though we will be running with a deficit budget and facing the huge task of repairing many burned bridges.
So what does the Ithaca Festival need? I'll be blunt (as though I've ever been tactful...) - we need money, first and foremost. Our debt is roughly $70,000 at the moment (pending a few more negotiations with vendors), and we need help. We're certainly not expecting to raise that kind of money begging our friends for their pocket change, but at this point, every little bit helps.
I'm not going to bore you by fleshing out the reasons that the Ithaca Festival is important - building community spirit, combating community deterioration, fostering a culturally sustainable community, etc. I'll save that kind of talk for the grantwriting table. What I am going to do, though, is ask you if you feel like you've had $5, $10, $20 or $100 worth of fun at the various Ithaca Festivals you've attended. Whether your fun comes in the form of drinking lemonade and watching Vitamin L with your kids, or laughing at the guys in tutus during the Volvo Ballet, or simply catching up with old friends under the old trees at Stewart Park, there is distinct value in this level of community entertainment. So would you rather spend $12 (plus $6 for popcorn!) at a national chain cineplex and see a movie that, while undoubtedly entertaining, has little bearing on your life or our local economy, or would you rather toss $10 in our beggar's jar and see what sort of wacky fun we can come up with?
The Ithaca Festival is a showcase of us, of who we are and what we are capable of. I am bound and determined to do everything I can to make sure that the Ithaca Festival 2009 is the best one we've ever seen, and has the greatest impact it has ever had. We've got the right director, we've put the dates back where they need to be (May 28-31), we'll be working off the traditional footprint, and we've got big plans that can be enacted on a small budget. But I need your help. I'm great at making change, but I'm not much good at making money. I know times are tight, but even if you only have $5 to give, please consider clicking on the "ChipIn!" button at the top right of the screen. If you'd prefer to send a check, you can make it out to "Ithaca Festival" and mail it to:
Ithaca Festival
215 N. Cayuga St., M-1
Ithaca, NY 14850.
All donations are tax-deductible, and we're happy to provide a receipt for checks (online donations automatically give you a receipt).
If you'd prefer to get a little something more for your money, and you'd like to buy some T-shirts, let me know. I'll set up a time to meet you at the Festival office and help you find what you need. And if you'd like to talk, offer input, hand down some advice, or even just vent, please let me know - I'll buy you a cup of coffee and listen for as long as you want to talk.
And hey... we're also looking for new Board members, volunteers, and advisory committee members. If you're interested, or know anyone who might be, get in touch! And please feel free to pass this message along to anyone you might know.
Sincerely,
Megan Romer
President, Ithaca Festival Board of Directors
