If you've been around the Boatworks, or on the BelmarArts mailing list over the past few weeks, then you should know all about the plan to upgrade our front door. The current one works, but like the rest of the building, it's taken a beating over the past few years. We have the opportunity to replace it with one that can open automatically. This would not only make us 100% compliant with ADA regulations, but it would make life easier for everyone who uses the building. If you've ever had to carry in a bunch of bulky artworks on a windy or rainy day, you know what I'm talking about.
So we set up an account through CrowdRise, a simple and secure online way to donate money to this effort. Adding an extra incentive to get this done was a special charity challenge from OceanFirst, one of our sponsors. The organization that raised the most money between April 14th and May 9th would receive a special bonus grant toward their current fundraising effort. To sweeten the deal for potential donors, we offered an iPad Mini as a raffle prize, with everyone who made a minimum donation during that time period eligible for the drawing.
Since the end of the contest period coincided with our opening reception for the current Eleven Shades of Gray exhibition, we held the drawing for the iPad Mini that evening, and it was won by Gina Cioffi (shown above with her prize). And, well, we never even came close to winning that challenge, as we were going up against some big organizations. But all the money we raised puts us closer to our goal of acquiring a new door, and we'll be on the lookout for more challenge opportunities like this one. Meanwhile, the CrowdRise account is still up and running to receive donations- there's a link from the homepage of our main website- or you can donate through our office any time we're open.
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