Cass Area Artists receives a boost!

We got a bit distracted planning and hosting the 6th Regional Exhibit at the Cass County Regional Gallery, but we did want to let you know a couple of very important happenings along the way.
We have been appearing at quarterly gatherings of a wonderful group of ladies who comprise a local charitable group called 100+Women Who Care. The members meet 4 times a year and each time, a 501(c)3 (such as Cass Area Artists!) can appear and make an appeal for funding. Three organizations picked "out of a hat" can present their case at each meeting. Cass Area Artists presented a year ago but didn't get another chance until this July. We held our breath--would you believe the announcer at first called another organization the "winner" (we exhaled deeply and dropped our shoulders) but then quickly said, "Oh no, Cass Area Artists" has won! It was almost like someone had called the wrong Oscar winner then quickly corrected it. We were gobsmacked! Each 100+ member is required to contribute $100 to the winner, whether they were present at the meeting or not. We collected over $2000 at the meeting that evening, and over the following weeks hundreds more came slowly rolling in until we finally finished with $5100.
This has been a lifesaver for us--we are all volunteers and we give away almost every dollar we take in, whether it's supplies for classes, scholarships, or awards at the Regional exhibits. Because we do a lot of work with youth--classes and scholarships--we may be eligible for matching funds with another organization. We have no information on that yet--we may get a full match, partial match, or nothing. But we're still giddy as all getout at having $5100 drop in our lap!
Oh, and by the way, our Treasurer can now sleep a bit better at night. If you would like to make that $5100 go even farther, you can always drop a few greenbacks into the treasury by clicking on the "Donate" button at the top of our home page, and the upper right hand corner of this news page. We're not picky, you choose whatever amount suits you. And thank you so much for following us.