Wagon Wheel Theatre Foundation Inc. announced receipt of a $25,000 "start-up" grant from the Lilly Endowment Fund through the Kosciusko County Community Foundation.
Dan Lee, WWTF president, said the unrestricted grant will be used primarily to disseminate information to the public during the group's fundraising campaign now underway."We're very grateful for this grant through Kosciusko County Community Foundation. It enables us to communicate with more people about our goal to convert the Wagon Wheel Theatre into a non-profit entity that will concentrate on high-quality professional entertainment. Raising money these days is an uphill battle, but we're committed to providing an expanded educational theatre opportunity for theater arts students of all ages, as well," Lee said.
WWTF's initial goal, nearing the half-way point, is for $300,000 to purchase the theater business from the current owners before a Dec. 31 deadline. It also should help pay some transition costs.
A second tier of fundraising will be needed to provide money for the initial months of foundation operation until the revenue stream is established.
