PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A $35,000 grant from the Quimby Family Foundation is serving as the springboard for a fund-raising campaign now under way at the Wintergreen Arts Center, located on State Street.
“We received the Quimby grant in August which will be put toward general operating expenses — namely to sustain the executive director position for a second year and to seed a matching fund-raising campaign for arts programs in Presque Isle,” said Wendy Gilman-Zubrick, the Center’s executive director.
Gilman-Zubrick expressed appreciation for the much-needed funds.
“A big thank you goes out to the Quimby Family Foundation for their generous gift,” she said.
The QFF donated a total of $1.3 million to 68 non-profits during a ceremony held in Freeport in August. The foundation has been awarding yearly grants to nonprofit organizations since 2005, to promote wilderness values and the arts.
This marks the second year in a row the Center has received funds from the QFF. In 2011, Wintergreen received a $25,000 grant which was used to fund the executive director position. Gilman-Zubrick was hired at that time, replacing Lara Cannon, Wintergreen’s founder, first president and volunteer executive director until she and her family moved from the area in early 2011.
Gilman-Zubrick said a portion of the QFF grant will match dollar-for-dollar donations up to $10,000.
“This will double your donation. Every dollar you give will be matched by the Quimby Family Foundation through a generous $10,000 matching campaign through December 31, 2012,” she said. “When was the last time you got a 100 percent return on your investment?”
The executive director said without such funds, many of the art programs now being offered would not be possible.
“These funds are very important as they enable us to maintain affordable prices for our arts programming. It is a top priority for our organization to have our programs accessible to all who are interested. Won’t you support our mission of offering quality, affordable arts programming and education for the people of Presque Isle and the surrounding area?” said Gilman-Zubrick.
Grant objectives include: sustain organizational leadership through the retention of the paid executive director position from August 2012 through August 2013; complete a fund-raising campaign to sustain arts center programming; and capitalize on community support and organizational partnerships to make Presque Isle a destination center for the arts.
“We’ve grown into a venue for all. We offer a variety of programs all year long, including: after-school arts programs, summer camps, Mini Monet pre-school program, Thursday Toddle-In Time, Saturday open studios, Monday Girls’ Night Out, community events, musical program, birthday parties, space rentals, our Studio Cafe, field trips and special programs and First Friday Art Walks. We’ve expanded our offerings over the years and continue to grow,” she said.
This fund-raising project, according to Gilman-Zubrick, is vitally important, given the pending loss of federal funding next year.
“The stability of leadership and the proposed matching fund-raising campaign are particularly critical for Wintergreen Arts Center as our three-year after-school program funding through the U.S. Department of Education comes to a close next year,” said Gilman-Zubrick.
“Our greatest challenge is to replace this generous funding and sustain our core youth programming with balanced revenue from a number of sources. We are meeting that challenge by launching a local fund-raising campaign to sustain and grow the program. The matching funds will be complemented by corporate sponsors and other foundation grants,” she said.
To make a donation, go to their website www.wintergreenarts.org or mail donations, made out to Wintergreen Arts Center, to: PO Box 1252, Presque Isle, ME 04769. For more information, call 762-3576.