JAMESTOWN, NY (July 23, 2020) – Infinity Visual and Performing Arts, Inc. will be hosting a virtual fundraising event to showcase local musicians, local artists, Infinity Students, and more! This grassroots fundraising initiative comes on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation of all of Infinity’s 2020 fundraising events, including their Annual Campaign, Art Market and Auction, Spring Student Showcase, and Local Music Showcase.
The idea for a virtual fundraiser sprang from the excitement of Infinity staff and individuals from the local music and arts scene who wanted to help Infinity and their students despite the cancellation of in-person events.
Infinity’s Executive Director, Shane Hawkins, said, “Each year, our team at Infinity conducts more than a dozen fundraising efforts and events to raise $60-70,000 towards Infinity’s annual operational costs. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of nearly all Infinity fundraising initiatives this year. Phoenix Fest is a collection of our favorite parts of many of our cancelled fundraisers. It is a community event, it incorporates our musician and artist community, and it provides a virtual performance venue and show for everyone in our community. We miss our students, we miss our performances and audiences, and we hope this event will celebrate community, set the stage for Infinity’s comeback after COVID, and bring everyone who tunes in a week of engaging Phoenix Fest entertainment.”
Infinity Phoenix Fest will take place online between August 21, 2020 and August 30, 2020 with the goal to involve as many community members as possible to help spread the word, spark excitement for Infinity’s mission, and ignite the power of grassroots, local giving.
Ashley Ordines, Infinity Development Coordinator, says, “2020 has been a difficult year for so many people, to say the least. A massive part of what is missing from our lives right now is art and entertainment. We’re missing concerts, plays, musicals, art shows, movies and so much more. These things make our community so special for so many people, and Infinity plays a very big part in that. Through annual fundraising events such as the Infinity Art Market, Spring Showcase and Local Music Showcase, Infinity contributes a huge amount to the culture of this area. With the cancelation of these events, Infinity now has A LOT to make up in lost fundraising. It is my hope that Phoenix Fest can offer an entertaining community experience, and help Infinity to rise again, even while we can’t be together.”
As a virtual event, Infinity Phoenix Fest will take place online. All events will be completely visible by the public through Infinity’s Facebook page, as well as a variety of participating local musician and artist pages. Local musicians will go live to perform concerts and raise funds for Infinity, Local Artists will have the opportunity to create something live, showcase their work, or give virtual tours of their studios while also fundraising for Infinity through shared donate buttons. Infinity is also encouraging supportive community members to create peer-to-peer fundraisers through their online giving platform, share posts and events to help spread the word, or even sponsor lesson rooms at the Infinity Center. Phoenix Fest will also feature an online auction and basket raffles featuring local goods.
All funds raised will support programming at the Infinity Center, which has continued to serve students with virtual private lessons, small virtual group classes, and even online student performances during the shutdown. Infinity continues to offer enrollment for online virtual learning opportunities as well as temporary and long-term scholarship options for families in need. Infinity instructors also created more than 40 Community Learning videos that can be accessed anytime through Infinity’s YouTube channel.
Infinity Grants and Marketing Coordinator, Stephanie Rogers shares, “It was a heartbreaking decision to cancel our events this year. Local Music Showcase was particularly difficult for me as one of the event coordinators, so to see our community begin to rally ideas and come up with alternative ways to support Infinity was an amazing thing to see play out on our online forums! We are so grateful to the community for all that they do to keep the arts scene alive and support what’s going on at the Infinity Center as we nurture the next generation of musicians and artists under our roof!”
If you would like to be involved in Infinity Phoenix Fest, or would like more information about supporting the cause as a donor or sponsor, please contact Infinity at PhoenixFest@infinityperformingarts.org.
Stay tuned to Infinity’s website and social media pages for an event schedule and additional opportunities to help spread the word! www.facebook.com/infinityvisualandperformingarts
