Corporate and Community Leaders "Build on the Momentum" at Midland Center for the Arts Fundraiser Breakfast

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Mar 12, 2013, 10:51 ET

MIDLAND, Mich., March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Despite the inclement Michigan weather, more than 160 regional corporate and community leaders took the stage February 27, 2013, to play their role in sustaining the arts during Midland Center for the Arts' "Building on the Momentum – Staging Our Future Together" fundraiser breakfast.

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"In 2010, we hosted our first centralized fundraising event, with participants making three-year pledges. The dollar amount of those yearly pledges equaled 15% of our operating budget," remarks Mike Hayes, MCFTA CEO and President. "We were thrilled by that positive response, and by the affirmation of the important role the arts play in making the Great Lakes Bay Region an attractive place to live and do business. The fact that many of those who attended the 2010 event have chosen to renew their pledge for another three years shows the Center continues to have the support we need to provide the quality and relevant programming people have come to expect from the Center."

Approximately 1/3 of MCFTA's operating costs are covered by ticket sales. The remainder is funded through the support of foundations, corporations and individual donors.

In addition to pledging their financial support, guests used their artistic talents – and a bit of backstage "magic" that only the Center can deliver – to create a one-of-a-kind work of art that represents the collaborative support needed to ensure the Center is here for generations to come.

"Alden B. Dow dreamed of a place that would promote the relationship between science and art," says Lee Rouse, MCFTA Board Chair. "More than 40 years later, we are proud that the Center continues to impact lives in countless ways. Our audiences expect the highest quality entertainment and exhibits, and expanding our donor base helps ensure that individuals of all ages have opportunities to perform, create music and art, experience their local history and make science come alive."

Midland Center for the Arts is an integral part of what makes Midland, and the Great Lakes Bay Region, a special place to live and work. Nearly 113,000 people visited the Center during the 2011/2012 season – from 43 states, 3 Canadian provinces, Europe and South Africa. Over 24,000 of these visitors were students.

www.mcfta.org

SOURCE Midland Center for the Arts