NWCC 'Keepin' The Lights On' With 'Friends' Campaign
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NWCC 'Keepin' The Lights On' With 'Friends' Campaign
By Staff Report-
While the letter signaled the NWCC's determination to move ahead on a number of fronts, the center's board confirms, it also sends a message that many U.S. nonprofit organizations are issuing right now as the nation emerges from a serious recession. The 8-year-old NWCC has been struggling somewhat financially and needs a hand from the public to help secure its future.
That's exactly why the theme of the new annual sustaining fundraising campaign is "Keepin' the Lights On," said Jon Sroufe, president of the community center board of directors.
"This campaign is virtually just what it says: 'Keepin' the Lights On,'" says Sroufe, who also serves as president of North Webster's town board. "We at the community center have awaken to the fact that we have quite a task in front of us here supporting all the programs and paying all the utilities and the staff, and we just have to continue campaigning to bring in more money in this facility that gets no tax dollars."
Sroufe says he realizes that all this comes only weeks after NWCC's highly successful Heart of the Community Charity Auction & Raffle Oct. 26 that netted more than $60,000 after expenses for the NWCC. The center is home to the North Webster Community Public Library, Senior PrimeLife Enrichment Center, Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation, Lakeland Regional Sewer District and a branch of the Kosciusko Community YMCA.
But Sroufe and other NWCC directors like Dennis Wagoner, vice president of the NWCC board, say that's simply not enough for an organization that does as much as the NWCC does.
"There's lots of (other organizations') hands out there wanting more and more money," says Wagoner. "So, it has been tough on us. But yet our community has always been able to step up and help this place flourish, and we're looking for them to do that again."
In these current economic times, NWCC Executive Director Tracy May maintains, the community center needs to find a means for more consistent, long-term funding beyond the community center's popular auction.
"The auction's a community event now," said May, who's served as the facility's director since 2007. "I mean, we had more than 1,200 people here that evening. It's something that people have come to expect. It's a great time for all, and it's a great way to support the center.
"But, unfortunately, what we raised in the auction this year was just three quarters of our annual utility bill," she added. "So, just because we have a good auction, which does lift some of the fundraising burden off the board, there's still a lot of money that needs to be brought in every year for operating costs. And that's why Friends of the Center was conceived."
Underscoring the center's plight is the fact that its busy Teen Center is closed this school year due to a lack of outside funding, including grant monies. Realizing the level of consternation this has triggered in the community and among some of the board members themselves, May, who spearheaded the Teen Center's opening in 2008, considers the closing temporary.
"When we sat down to look at things, the cost of keeping the Teen Center going with adequate staffing was simply beyond our reach," said May. "It's a shame that we've had to temporarily close those doors. I won't pretend otherwise. But I can also tell you that we won't rest until the moment we get it reopened because it's something that the area's young people had come to depend on."
Sroufe says it's time to reach out to the wider community. At the same time, he noted, the NWCC's executive committee will be looking at additional fundraising sources for 2011 and will be taking a good hard look at its expenses as it launches its campaign.
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While the letter signaled the NWCC's determination to move ahead on a number of fronts, the center's board confirms, it also sends a message that many U.S. nonprofit organizations are issuing right now as the nation emerges from a serious recession. The 8-year-old NWCC has been struggling somewhat financially and needs a hand from the public to help secure its future.
That's exactly why the theme of the new annual sustaining fundraising campaign is "Keepin' the Lights On," said Jon Sroufe, president of the community center board of directors.
"This campaign is virtually just what it says: 'Keepin' the Lights On,'" says Sroufe, who also serves as president of North Webster's town board. "We at the community center have awaken to the fact that we have quite a task in front of us here supporting all the programs and paying all the utilities and the staff, and we just have to continue campaigning to bring in more money in this facility that gets no tax dollars."
Sroufe says he realizes that all this comes only weeks after NWCC's highly successful Heart of the Community Charity Auction & Raffle Oct. 26 that netted more than $60,000 after expenses for the NWCC. The center is home to the North Webster Community Public Library, Senior PrimeLife Enrichment Center, Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation, Lakeland Regional Sewer District and a branch of the Kosciusko Community YMCA.
But Sroufe and other NWCC directors like Dennis Wagoner, vice president of the NWCC board, say that's simply not enough for an organization that does as much as the NWCC does.
"There's lots of (other organizations') hands out there wanting more and more money," says Wagoner. "So, it has been tough on us. But yet our community has always been able to step up and help this place flourish, and we're looking for them to do that again."
In these current economic times, NWCC Executive Director Tracy May maintains, the community center needs to find a means for more consistent, long-term funding beyond the community center's popular auction.
"The auction's a community event now," said May, who's served as the facility's director since 2007. "I mean, we had more than 1,200 people here that evening. It's something that people have come to expect. It's a great time for all, and it's a great way to support the center.
"But, unfortunately, what we raised in the auction this year was just three quarters of our annual utility bill," she added. "So, just because we have a good auction, which does lift some of the fundraising burden off the board, there's still a lot of money that needs to be brought in every year for operating costs. And that's why Friends of the Center was conceived."
Underscoring the center's plight is the fact that its busy Teen Center is closed this school year due to a lack of outside funding, including grant monies. Realizing the level of consternation this has triggered in the community and among some of the board members themselves, May, who spearheaded the Teen Center's opening in 2008, considers the closing temporary.
"When we sat down to look at things, the cost of keeping the Teen Center going with adequate staffing was simply beyond our reach," said May. "It's a shame that we've had to temporarily close those doors. I won't pretend otherwise. But I can also tell you that we won't rest until the moment we get it reopened because it's something that the area's young people had come to depend on."
Sroufe says it's time to reach out to the wider community. At the same time, he noted, the NWCC's executive committee will be looking at additional fundraising sources for 2011 and will be taking a good hard look at its expenses as it launches its campaign.
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