ST. JOSEPH, MO—The annual Arts Fund campaign has officially kicked off! Arts Fund co-chair Rich Crumley announced today “early solicitation has raised $66,421 towards our goal of $202,500. With this trend, we are very optimistic of reaching our goal.” This year’s funded non-profit agencies include Creative Arts Productions, Performing Arts Association, RiverSong, St. Joseph Community Chorus, Saint Joseph Symphony and the Allied Arts Council.
“The arts are good for every community,” said Chris Price, Hy-Vee Perishable Manager. “If children realize the importance of art and creativity from a young age, they can grow up to be more confident, more creative and definitely more mature. As an adult it is our duty to keep the arts alive for future generations to enjoy and to enjoy ourselves.”
“The arts are vital to St. Joseph. They add to the quality of life and ongoing education of all of our residents. They help us attract businesses, college students and new residents to St. Joseph. They are also vital to our families and help us raise well rounded children who have been exposed to a world even larger than St. Joseph, said Mallory Murray, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, Missouri Western State University.
The arts in St. Joseph are a $10.9 million industry in St. Joseph- one that attracts audiences, spurs business development, supports jobs and generates government revenue. Over 133,000 adults and 25,000 children attend Arts Fund sponsored events, which provide over 43,200 hours of volunteer services for 2,600 volunteers. Agencies rely on Arts Fund money for roughly 25% of the dollars necessary to provide top quality arts programming in the St. Joseph area.
“Everyone we contacted said yes to being a part of this campaign. We have a full slate of awesome members on our cabinet. We plan to have fun along this journey, and reach our goal,” according to Arts Fund co-chair Barb Crumley.
This year’s cabinet includes: Byron Myers, Chris Schmitter, James Fisher, Larry Stobbs, Pat Dillon, Denise Meyer, Shanda Parrish, Ron Auxier, Dr. Gordon Mapley, Kevin Griffin, Laura Donaldson, Marcy George, Cathy McKim, and Dr. Scott Wade.
To contribute to the Arts Fund or for additional information visit www.stjoearts.org, call the Allied Arts Council office at 816-233-0231, or visit the office at 118 South Eighth Street in St. Joseph.