The Silver Lining
Estimado friends,
The non-profit arts sector has been hit hard -- and not only as a result of the current crisis. Indeed, in the past five to seven years, as recently reported by the Fund for Folk Culture, private institutional funding has been shrinking as national foundations shift their priorities to other needs in these tough economic times. In San José, we have witnessed the tragic demise of one of the best musical theatre companies in the country, and in the world of traditional arts we have lost a great friend with the imminent closing of the very source of the trend I note today: the Fund for Folk Culture. Both organizations were impacted, directly and indirectly, by the current economy as well as the declining trend for arts support nationally.
One wonders, then, if there is a silver lining to all of the doom and gloom. To paraphrase a famous editorial published by The New York Sun in 1897, at MHC we believe that "Yes, Virginia, there is a silver lining" -- and that is our renewed commitment to you, our patrons, supporters, advocates, and friends: that we will continue the good fight to raise both dollars and awareness of the need for arts and culture programs and, specifically, music education for young and old. If anyone ever doubted the efficacy of music education -- its benefits in terms of improved academic achievement, abatement of risk behaviors, building up of self-discipline and esteem, and sheer joy, one need look no further than the Congressional Record: http://www.music-for-all.org/blog/archives/2007/04/us_house_unanimously_passes_re.html.
These benefits are tangible right here in San José, in the work that we do throughout the year, as evidenced in this article about our PeeWee Mariachi program. And if you would like to see the real impact to the youngsters we are so privileged to serve, click the image below to view a slideshow of our 2008 activities for children.
Children's exposure to music and cultural activities has an impact on the rest of their lives, as Mariachi Festival Artistic Director Linda Ronstadt discusses in this audio interview. And if you would like to see the impact of our Mariachi and Latin Music Festival on students and patrons of all ages, click this image for a slideshow of festival sights and sounds, courtesy of the San José Mercury News.
We will never give up our goal to establish sustainable support for the arts. In fact, we're working hard behind the scenes to introduce an exciting new social venture arts model to our community that we believe will help not only MHC achieve sustainability but our colleagues in other non-profit sectors as well. We hope to communicate additional details about our model in the first quarter of the new year.
If the economy has hit home a little too hard, we certainly understand. You can still help us by forwarding this link to as many friends as you can; urge them to consider supporting our mission of celebrating Mexico's art and culture, as well as our music education programs.
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Our fundraising thermometer started at $1000. We're thrilled to announce that, thanks to a few extremely generous donors, after just 4 months we have raised $34,010 - more than 2/3 of original goal of $50,000 to support the cultural programs of MHC! We're so flattered and excited by this great response - the momentum to reach $50,000 is getting more and more energy. |
Or we can accept your Visa or Mastercard donation over the phone at (408) 928-5576.
As an added demonstration of our gratitude, anyone donating $200 or more will receive a free commemorative poster from this year's Mariachi Festival, signed by all the artists who sang in the Gala Concert: Linda Ronstadt, Aida Cuevas, Lila Downs, Mariachi Cobre, and Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. (You can view our lovely 2008 Festival poster in the poster gallery on our website.)
Most importantly, THANK YOU for your time, your interest, and your support.
Warm wishes for the New Year... and remember: Yes, Virginia, there is a change in the air, as well.
Marcela Davison Avilés
President and CEO
Mexican Heritage Corporation
mdaviles@mhcviva.org
www.mhcviva.org