Items

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  2020-10-20

  A Public Performance in the Middle of the Pandemic

  For the last few years, I have coordinated an event called, Dancing for a Brand New Me. It is a fundraiser event that is designed to not only bring about awareness to domestic violence in Lassen County, but it is a fundraiser to help pay for the the mortgage of the shelter for victims. Last year was the 7th year that local "Susanville Stars" were partnered with local professional choreographers to dance three dances before judges similar to NBC's Dancing with the Stars. Our local stars are usually very active community members who spend about 5-6 months learning the dances, but they also fundraiser to get sponsors. It becomes a fun, healthy competition to see who can out dance and out raise funds with each other. Most of the choreographers have participated in the event for many years. It has become a community favorite, selling out tickets both nights the third weekend in October. In 2020, we had to come up with four different plans on how we would perform, because of the pandemic. Our plans included only performing a livestreamed show to relocating our event outdoors. Normally, the event is performed in the local Veterans Hall that is equipped with stage, lights, and sound. In September 2020, I wrote a proposal to public health outlining in detail how we would manage the event. It took weeks for public health to get back to us. But what they approved was that our event could be held at the local High School football stadium, we had to mark off 6-foot distance, require mask, and have screenings at the gate. We had hand sanitizer stations and we were instructed two things: limited seats (200 people) and whatever we did, when we live streamed to not show the audience. The article that I attached talks more about the event than the obstacle it took to put on the event. It is incredibly difficult to move sound equipment in and out of a football stadium every day for a week. It is hard to do a staged performance when you are surrounded by a dirt track. It is hard to have your dressing room be the football locker room. It was very difficult to make all of the modifications and changes that we did. But we did it. And it was an amazing event. Even though we weren't supposed to, we have about 400 people in the audience each night. Most did not wear mask and most were sitting very close to each other. Even one of the public health officials sat in the audience not following the "rules". The event raised over $25,000! Just two weeks after our event, many of the Halloweeen events led to a Covid-19 outbreak in our community and the cases rose rapidly. Prior to Dancing for a Brand New Me 2020, we had zero cases. After Halloween 2020 our cases skyrocketed for a small town. I saw that we happened to just squeeze in one performing arts event just in time before things got bad. I feel like we were lucky and it was probably why the event was so well attended. I have the newspaper article and my proposal attached.
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  2020-05-30

  The Dashathon

  When the pandemic quarantine was initially imposed, I found myself with lots of free time on my hands. After weeks of low motivation and extreme boredom, I decided to sign up as a food delivery driver for Doordash, a job that was in high demand at the time. By this point in quarantine, all restaurants were closed for indoor dining, but many were still offering carryout and delivery services, largely through food delivery apps such as Doordash. Some of my friends and I started driving Doordash as frequently as 5-6 nights a week. We strategically prioritized the 4 to 8 PM time-slot in order to cover the majority of the dinner shift. Although it was quite mindless work, it was one of the few things that I had to look forward to as a daily break from the monotonous isolation of quarantine. Orders were frequent and because of the high demand for delivery drivers and very light traffic, tips were generous and reflective of the community’s appreciation for service provided by “frontline workers” like ourselves. After about a month of driving, my friends and I decided to put together a fundraiser called “Dashathon” to support some of our favorite local restaurants and small businesses that were struggling during the pandemic. Because many smaller restaurants did not have the financial resources to operate at a loss during periods of the pandemic, many were forced to shut their doors. Our idea was to reach out to all of our family and friends and designate one night where all of our income and tips from Doordash would be donated to these struggling restaurants and other local charities in need. With lots of outreach, we secured underwriting from 10 different sponsors as well as a dollar-for-dollar match pledge from Doordash itself. Our Dashathon was even highlighted in a television news segment broadcast on the local Denver NBC-affiliate newscast (linked above). We were successful in recruiting over 40 drivers to participate in our event. Through a competition-style format that rewarded the highest earners with gift cards from our sponsors, we were able to raise $15,000 dollars in just four hours. The proceeds were distributed in their entirety to designated local restaurants and charities.
• 
  2021-03-10

  Artists decorate COVID-19 masks to raise $13,500 for LGBTQ charity

  Artists in Baltimore were encouraged to create and donate masks to be auctioned off. 40% of the profits from the masks went to local artists while the remaining amount went to Baltimore Community Foundations" LQBTQ fund. The fund supports numerous LGBTQ organizations in Baltimore such as peer counseling, suicide prevention, and health services.
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  2020-11-14

  Youtube channel The Shows Must Go On! fundraising with a showing of Macbeth

  The Shows Must Go On! is a Youtube channel that started near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The channel is owned by Universal, and so has rights to many popular musicals, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's. Periodically, they stream performances and keep them up for 48 hours. This production of Macbeth stars Sir Patrick Stewart and will be available for a week when it's aired 11/16/2020. While it's up, the channel will be using it to raise money for The Actor's Fund to help performers struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  2020-10-01

  Jewish Melbourne: Chabad on Carlisle Erev Sukkos Appeal

  Chabad on Carlisle - Jewish Russian Centre organised a fundraiser for Sukkos: "In a talk which he delivered on Erev Sukkos, the Rebbe described Yud Daled Tishrei as a day when Jews should literally splurge in giving tzedoka. This year, the call for generosity is so much greater due to the impact of Covid, and the funds you donate will be distributed to alleviate financial hardship and enable the celebration of Succos with true joy and peace of mind."
• 
  2020

  Jewish Melbourne: Bialik College Foundation fundraising projects for Covid-19

  Amongst its other fundraising efforts, Bialik College launched a special 'Covid-19 Relief' fundraiser: "Our goal is to ensure no child leaves Bialik College as a result of financial hardship caused by COVID-19. Help us make this a reality and support a family in need. We are all in this together." They also launched a fundraiser to create new outdoor spaces: "Help us transform our outdoor amphitheatre into a flexible event space. With current social distancing measures in place as a result of COVID-19, we need to think creatively to look for alternative ways to gather as a school community."
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  2020-07-02

  Jewish Melbourne: Chevra Hatzolah 'Beyond the Crisis' fundraiser

  Facebook post thanking people for their contribution to the Chevra Hatzolah 'Beyond the Crisis' fundraiser. The post says: "During the Pandemic, Hatzolah’s focus has been directed at continuing our emergency response, Responder and patient safety, and community education through online media. Working together with community groups such as the Covid-19 Taskforce, CSG and Ambulance Victoria, keeping our community safe was the primary objective. However we also incurred huge expenses and needed to replenish funds used to purchase large volumes of expensive PPE, and still have enough for us to emerge and grow Beyond the Crisis. All of us at Hatzolah Melbourne have been humbled by the outpouring of moral and financial support during the “Beyond the Crisis” campaign, and express our sincere thanks to the community. In spite of the financial strains being felt across the board, the community has shown us incredible support and we are extremely grateful. We wish everyone good health, and look forward to continuing to serve the community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
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  2020-06-18

  The Gladstone Theatre uses its marquee to raise funds during COVID-19 pandemic

  A news article discussing how a local independent theatre is making up loses and spreading cheer during the pandemic by offering up their marquee. "According to The Gladstone Theatre, 'For $1 a character (maximum 80 characters), we will put your personalized message up on our stylish retro marquee. We will then take a picture of it and send it off to you to share with the world.'"
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  2020-05-31

  Colorado Strong Pale Ale

  With restaurants and breweries having to shut down or go to limited capacity because of the pandemic, their financial health has been hit hard. Colorado remains a hot spot for microbreweries and many of those microbreweries are community-driven. In the past, they created beers to raise relief funds for California and Australian wildfires as well as to support the community they work in. Coloradans support each other and the pandemic is no different. With 125 breweries participating the funds will go to jump-start the breweries financial well being and support the medical, gig workers, service industry, and hospitality employees. It's one of the ways food and beverage can be used to drive support to keep our communities strong. Now I just wish I still resided in my home state so I could help out by purchasing each variation of Colorado Strong Pale Ale.
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  2020-05-22

  Good Medicine Comedy Fundraiser: Sponsored By the National Congress of American Indians for the COVID-19 Response Fund

  Good Medicine Comedy streams live May 22 at 10 pm CST. This is a fundraiser benefiting Tribal communities impacted by COVID-19. Proceeds benefit the National Congress of American Indians COVID-19 Response Fund.
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  2020-05-27

  'Front Line' Mural in Vanier

  Based on an initial sketch called 'Front Line' which was part of a fundraiser to provide brown-bag meals to health care workers, this mural by artist Dominic Laporte is positioned along the side of the busy Vanier Parkway across from a Loblaws grocery store.
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  2020-04-17

  Cancer Care Students Help Isolated Families During Pandemic

  The pandemic has created critical needs for the families at Christopher's Haven, a temporary home for those whose children are undergoing cancer care at Boston hospitals. Students in Professor Jessica Mak's Cancer Care course--who had been helping the organization as part of their semester-long service learning project--have stepped in to deliver groceries, raise funds for essential supplies, and spread cheer remotely. "Suffolk students always go above and beyond to support and celebrate our Christopher's Haven families. Now, when our families are feeling so isolated, it means a lot to know the students are still thinking about them," says Catie MacWilliams from Christopher's Haven.
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  2020-04-27

  Spotted Cat Music Club Relief Fund for Musicians, New Orleans, LA

  Spotted Cat Music Club started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to support out of work musicians. The club details in their facebook post that they established a goal of raising $44,200, which is the bare minimum musicians working at Spotted Cat Music Club would earn in the month of April.
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  2020-05-01

  Preservation Hall Jazz Band Partners with Spotify to Fund Musicians, New Orleans, LA

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, many New Orleans Musicians are out of work. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band partners with Spotify to raise funds to support 60 local musicians associated with the Preservation Hall Musical Collective. This Facebook post reads: "Help support Preservation Hall musicians with a MATCHED donation to the Preservation Hall Foundation. We are eternally grateful to our friends at Spotify, who have pledged to match contributions to support the 60 musicians of the Preservation Hall Musical Collective, dollar-for-dollar. Your donation or merch order from the new Foundation online store will have DOUBLE the impact on our efforts to provide financial support and resources to our beloved family of New Orleans musicians. Without these men and women, there is no Preservation Hall. Shop or donate to support the Fund at preshallfoundation.org/spotify-music-relief."
• 
  2020-04-24

  Church donations have plunged because of the coronavirus. Some churches won’t survive.

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, churches are being hit hard. They are facing a decrease in donations, making it difficult for them to stay afloat. This is due to their masses being cancelled or moved online. Congregations are beginning to make difficult decisions of whether or not to close their doors or cut the work of their staff. #REL101
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  2020-04-21

  Bandcamp To Once Again Waive Its Cut of Sales to Support Artists on May 1st

  "Last month, Bandcamp waived their revenue share on all purchases for a 24-hour period, in a gesture of support to all the artists who've been impacted by the coronavirus lockdowns. The initiative was a huge success. Techcrunch.com reports it was the biggest day in the site's 11-year history: "artists raised $4.3 million in music and merchandise sales over the 24-hour period. That comes out to more than 15x Bandcamp’s normal numbers on a Friday — or, as the site puts, it 11 items per second over the course of the day. In all, some 800,000 items were sold, versus the standard 47,000." "We don’t yet know the long-term impact of Covid-19, but we know that we all need music — to uplift and inspire us, to heal us, and to give us hope," Bandcamp wrote on their website. "We’ll continue working to make Bandcamp the best place for fans and artists to come together and sustain each other in the challenging times ahead." Well, the online music company is doing just that on Friday, May 1st. More details will be shared next Monday, April 27th. Until then... start making your shopping lists. "
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  2020-04-17

  Fundraiser: Solidarity for the Unhoused, New Orleans, LA

  A fundraiser to provide assistance to New Orleans unhoused population. The fundraiser description is as follows: "There are reportedly 1200 unhoused people in New Orleans. More than 420 of them live on the street where they are deprived of access to running water, soap, shelter, and basic food supplies. This makes them a particularly vulnerable group during the Covid 19 pandemic in addition to the hardships and exploitations they already endure. Very little is being done on a federal level to service this population. Despite reports that the homeless people of New Orleans are being relocated to local hotels, only 175 of them have been relocated thus far. The immobile, those who experience mental instability, those who do not speak English and the undocumented will face difficulties assessing the already limited shelter even if more is provided. We are distributing supplies and food daily to those on the street, while attempting to share social distancing guidelines and information about resources throughout the city. Additionally, we are following CDC guidelines while preparing and distributing food."
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  2020-03-16

  A Letter From Our Team, New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation

  New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation sent this letter to its supporters at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in New Orleans, LA. New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation's patient population primarily consists of gigging musicians and performers - an already at-risk population especially affected by the situation the pandemic presents.
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  2020-03-06

  Complimentary Hand Sanitizer at Large Public Function, New Orleans, LA

  At a fundraiser held weeks before stay-at-home orders were put into effect, this event hall put out miniature bottles of sanitizers for their guests to take with them. A sign on display at the entrance of the event encouraged guests to not hug or kiss when greeting one another.
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  2020-03-24

  New Orleans' Commander's Palace Asks for Donations for Employees Relief Fund

  Commander's Palace starts an Employee Relief Fund and asks for donations from followers of the restaurants' Facebook page to aide employees out of a job.
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  2020-03-24

  Fundraiser: The Tipitina's Top Banana, New Orleans, LA

  Tipitina's, a music venue in New Orleans, LA, starts a fundraiser to benefit the venue during its Covid-19 closure.
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  2020-03-20

  Advance Drink Fundraiser, Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA

  Tipitinia's, a music venue in New Orleans, LA, begins a fundraiser to support their staff who have no income while the venue is closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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  2020-03-20

  Lipslut - Coronavirus Fundraiser Email

  Image shows company response to raising awareness and support for communities impacted by the virus. *downloaded e-mail