The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Joy Swearingen, Quill correspondent
So far over $19,000 has been given to the Legacy Theater toward the fall matching challenge campaign.
The drive, that runs through the end of the year, could bring up to $100,000 to the theater in Carthage. The campaign was announced June 28 and 29, during the Hughes Music Show.
A group of donors from the area have pledged $50,000 to create the matching fund. Now, any amount donated to the theater in the next four months will be doubled because of the matching fund, up to the pledged $50,000. The matching campaign runs from now until December 31, 2019.
Legacy Theater fundraising committee chairman, Joy Swearingen, urges all supporters of the theater to take this opportunity to double the impact of their giving.
"We are pleased with how quickly donations have come in response to this matching challenge," she said.
"For every dollar given, the theater receives another dollar, up to the $50,000 pledged. I don't want to leave any of that challenge money unmet."
The theater is part of the former Carthage College. It is owned by the city of Carthage, and operated by the Legacy Theater Foundation, organized in 2016, bringing in a variety of live performers to the theater.
The matching campaign funds are designated for professional sound and lighting equipment.
"The theater currently rents the high quality sound and lighting systems we need for our performers, costing around $1,500 per show," said Dr. Doug Groth, president of the Legacy Theater Foundation board.
"These pledges show confidence and commitment to the future of the Legacy Theater.
"They challenge patrons and friends of the theater all around the region to give at the highest level they can."
The matching fund was started with a $25,000 pledge by Harold Dyer and his wife, Connie Golob Dyer of West Point, Iowa. Additional pledges raised the matching fund to $50,000.
"The board and volunteers for the Legacy Theater are constantly working toward our goal of providing outstanding performances, making the theater in Carthage a destination for quality, live entertainment," said Groth.
Donations can be sent to the Legacy Theater at P.O. Box 34, Carthage, IL 62321.
For more information about the matching challenge, contact Swearingen at 217-357-4989 or email joysw@frontier.com. or go to www.thelegacytheater.com and click on PayPal or "Giving to the Theater."
The Legacy Theater Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, organized in 2016.