Artsbridge starts fundraising campaign
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PARKERSBURG -- Artsbridge kicks off its annual fund drive today, a major campaign to raise money for arts education programs in schools and for youth.
Donations can be made to the Artsbridge Fund Drive 2021 by mailing a check to PO Box 1706, Parkersburg, WV 26102, or at artsbridgonline.org and clicking on "donate" in the bottom left of the home screen.
No celebratory kickoff is planned because of the pandemic, which also has impacted other non-profit organizations trying to raise funds, said Artsbridge Executive Director Amanda Stevens. Also, no goal has been set, she said.
"Things have been all over the place as far as financially for people,' Stevens said.
The usual time period for the drive is September and October, but donations are accepted any time, Stevens said.
Artsbridge was created 34 years ago. It is involved in more than 100 arts-related events and provides more than 20 programs.
The primary objective of Artsbridge programs are arts education in the schools in the surrounding counties in West Virginia and in Washington County, Stevens said. Programs include the artist tours, ArtCart, scholarships for students and awards for teachers and the Very Spectacular Arts Festival, she said.
"Our programs encompass all of the arts, including a summer and winter concert series, professional tours in Wood county schools and surrounding West Virginia counties as well as Washington County in Ohio, a catalog of artists program where schools can 'shop' for artists to come and perform in a classroom setting or whole school setting, the ArtCart Program which provides art instruction to fourth and fifth graders in Wood County, a 'Canvas Project' at Grand Central Mall, and many more," Stevens said.
Artsbridge also provides free art activities at local events such as Marietta First Fridays, FAMM Fest, Harvest Moon Festival, and Parkersburg Homecoming. Those events are basically for maintaining the Artsbridge brand and are secondary to the primary mission of arts education in schools, she said.
Local artists can also use the facilities at Artsbridge for art classes and workshops.
"We are always seeking ways to provide quality programming in our community," Stevens said.
All money raised by Artsbridge during the Annual Fund Drive remains in the community, Stevens said.
"We are thankful for the support that we have received in past years," she said. "We could not provide these wonderful programs without individual donors like you."