Eloise's Blog

Over the past year and a half since we moved into our North Park Blocks space, RACC staffers, with advice from board members, have been working on a sustainability plan. We liken the effort to building a three-legged stool of social, financial and environmental sustainability.

We're almost there! With just three weeks left in The Right Brain Initiative’s 2013 Imagination Fund campaign, we've raised $21,500 of our $25,000 goal. That means our mission is 86% complete!

There has been a flurry of updates on the City of Portland’s arts tax, and I wanted to update you all with the very latest.

Thank you arts organization friends, RACC Board members and other advocates for your fantastic response to our recent call to action, which resulted in hundreds of letters, emails, calls and visits to Portland City Council. On April 30th Mayor Hales released his proposed budget and RACC was spared any disproportionate cuts.

Our campaign to raise $25,000 for The Right Brain Initiative by June 15th—The Imagination Fund—is making great progress! I am pleased to report that we are at $18,500, which brings us 75% to goal!

Special thanks to Lisa Wiese, and her team at 1040-Express Tax Services who celebrated the end of Tax Season (Monday, April 15) by presenting RACC/Right Brain with our biggest single donation to the Campaign yet!

On March 27th, Portland City Council considered ways to improve the Arts Education & Access Income Tax, while making it clear that they are honoring the voters’ intent to levy the tax and invest the proceeds in arts education and arts organizations.

Our campaign to raise $25,000 for The Right Brain Initiative by June 15th is in full swing, and I am pleased to report that we have passed the $11,000 mark, which brings us 44% to goal! Huge thanks to new donors Mandy Allen, Becky and Rebecca of our own Right Brain staff, Abbie Hebein and her “Rock Out for Right Brains” event, Gary Maffei, Mary Maletis, and Carole Morse of PGE -- all of you will have your gifts matched by the Maybelle Clark McDonald Fund.

There is a lot going on this month, and I wanted to point out three big happenings in particular.

Our arts integration program, The Right Brain Initiative, is currently working with over 11,000 K-8 students in the region, and their teachers, to infuse music, art, dance and theater into science, math, language arts and social studies lessons. But we won’t rest until every student in the region – 110,000 in all! – has access to this type of arts integrated learning that helps them succeed in school and in life.

Our IT specialist of the last ten years, Chris Bisgard, recently left us for Portland Center Stage – apparently his deep love of theater tugged him too hard to resist! But we are pleased to have found another Chris – Chris Tew – to take over RACC’s technology reigns starting this week.