Tecumseh Center for the Arts receives Grant Award from Local Foundation
The Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation selected Tecumseh Center for the Arts as the grant recipient of $50,000 to go toward the replacement and repairs of the theater’s aging HVAC system. According to the Foundation, it had to approach grant requests differently than they have in past years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation recognized that performing arts centers and other highly impacted not-for-profit organizations were in dire need of assistance. The Foundation was also unable to support the TCA’s summer series and their annual camp scholarships due to closures from the coronavirus COVID-19. ‘We knew the boiler was on its last leg this past winter and we’ve been raising funds for the boiler for the past 12 months,” Stated TCA Director Kelly Jo Gilmore. “Then, when we switched the building from heating to cooling at the end of May, we were informed that at least one of the air conditioning units was no longer operational and several other units needed repairs. It was heartbreaking given the amount of money we have raised for the boiler to now have to find funding for the AC units as well.” When considering grant requests, the Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation strives to ensure their awards are in alignment with their mission statement and ultimately that the Foundation is living up to the legacy left by its founder, Elizabeth Wilson. “At our recent meeting, the foundation board reviewed a request from Tecumseh Center for the Arts that outlined their needs as well as the hard work they are doing to keep this community cornerstone operating,” stated Foundation President Theresa Powers. “Elizabeth was on the original board that built the TCA (formerly known as the Civic Auditorium). She believed that a community auditorium was essential to our community. With that in mind, the board unanimously approved awarding the TCA a grant of $50,000 to assist in the replacement of their HVAC system and other necessary repairs. The Elizabeth R. Wilson Foundation is and always will be dedicated to the cultural arts of this community.” An official presentation of the grant award will take place during Tecumseh’s City Council meeting on Monday, July 20, 2020. “The TCA staff is incredible grateful for this grant award from the Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation,” said Gilmore. “We believe in this theater and the role that it plays in the greater Tecumseh area. I am amazed and inspired by community members and local foundations like the Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation that continue to give back to Tecumseh in times of need.”
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