GUSMAN CENTER NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT NOW
The Gusman Center has been informed that due to the city of Miami’s budget crisis, the theater is likely to receive zero funding from the city for the coming fiscal year. Without this support—or equivalent support from other sources—the Gusman’s doors will close permanently in spring 2011.
As a city-owned facility, the theater has traditionally relied on the city to provide approximately one-third of its operating budget. The proposed $1.4 million budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2010 anticipated city funding of $478,036. (Remaining funding comes from venue rentals as well as arts and historic-preservation grants from the city, county and state.)
The Friends of Gusman Center, the theater’s nonprofit fundraising arm, needs your help to make up the shortfall due to the withdrawal of city funding.
8 WAYS YOU CAN TAKE ACTION
1. LEARN THE FACTS. View recent news coverage. More news links will be posted here as they become available.
The Miami Herald: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/28/1705830/miami-threatens-to-halt-gusman.html
NBC Miami: http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Gusman_Budget_Woes_Miami.html
Miami Today: http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/100701/story-viewpoint.shtml
CBS4: http://cbs4.com/local/gusman.theater.miami.2.1779024.html
2. DONATE! Your contribution to Friends of Gusman is tax deductible.
DONATE BY MAIL – Send your check, made payable to “Friends of Gusman,” to:
Gusman Center for the Performing Arts
169 E. Flagler Street, Suite 837
Miami, FL 33131
DONATE ONLINE – Visit our Causes.com page at http://www.causes.com/causes/500970 to make an online donation with your credit card. You can also use the "Tell Friends" feature to invite your friends to donate.
DONATE BY TEXT MESSAGE – Send a text to donate any amount between $10 and $500. To donate $10, send the phrase “Pay Gusman 10” to 646-863-9557. (You can change the 10 to any other amount you wish, up to $500.) You will then receive an automated phone call that will ask you to key in your credit card information.
MAKE A MAJOR GIFT – Interested in making a larger personal or corporate contribution? Please contact Theater Director Margaret Lake at 305-374-2444 or mlake@gusmancenter.org to schedule a meeting. Recognition opportunities are available.
3. CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. Support Friends of Gusman’s efforts to restore the necessary funding in the city budget. Tell your officials that the Gusman is critical to revitalizing downtown Miami.
Mayor Tomás P. Regalado – tregalado@miamigov.com / tel. 305-250-5300
Commissioner Wilfredo (Willy) Gort, District 1 – wgort@miamigov.com / tel. 305-250-5430
Commissioner Marc Sarnoff (Chairman), District 2 – msarnoff@miamigov.com / tel. 305-250-5333
Commissioner Frank Carollo (Vice Chairman), District 3 – fcarollo@miamigov.com / tel. 305-250-5380
Commissioner Francis Suarez, District 4 – fsuarez@miamigov.com / tel. 305-250-5420
Commissioner Richard Dunn, District 5 – rpdunn@miamigov.com / tel. 305-250-5390
Postal mail to any of the above officials may be addressed to:
Miami City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
4. CONTACT THE MEDIA. Send your 150-word letter to HeraldEd@MiamiHerald.com; Fax: 305-376-8950; or The Readers’ Forum, Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693. Include your name, address and a daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited for grammar, brevity and clarity. All letters submitted become the property of The Miami Herald.
5. TELL YOUR FRIENDS. Copy and paste the info on this page into an e-mail and send it to your friends, or just give them the link to this page: www.gusmancenter.org/support
6. VISIT THE THEATER. Visit the theater’s online calendar at www.gusmancenter.org/events for a complete list of upcoming shows and community events.
7. RENT THE THEATER. Contact Assistant Theater Director Joyce Fleming at 305-374-2444 or jfleming@gusmancenter.org to discussing renting the Gusman for your performance, social function or corporate event.
8. STAY IN TOUCH. Ask questions and share your ideas on the Gusman Center's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/gusmancenter.
We have also set up a separate Friends of Gusman page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=136697773022479. Please join and support the fundraising and advocacy efforts of Friends of Gusman.
Sign up to receive the theater's monthly e-newsletter here: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001uIM2HFQzzSYCTmxcAsAH-g%3D%3D. It contains up-to-date information on upcoming shows and events.