A Message from Interact Executive Director Jeanne Calvit
Greetings to my dear Interact Friends!
I hope this letter finds you well in the great uncertainty of these times, and that your families remain hopeful and in communication during this unthinkable social distancing.
I am writing today to let you know that, in order to protect the health and safety of over 150 Interact artists and staff, we have temporarily closed our doors and will adjust the timeframe as the COVID 19 pandemic unfolds.
I am also writing to ask for your help in order to survive until the day our artists return.
Folks like us who support people with disabilities know that many can only dream of lives beyond the basics. For almost 25 years, those once-impossible dreams of “what I could become” have come true every single day at Interact.
Now, even though our artists are unable to join their colleagues here at Interact, our staff is busy keeping them inspired and engaged electronically. You can see some of these innovations on our Instagram or Facebook page, or at #ArtworkingFromHome.
Yet every day Interact is closed means we lose 70% of our income, and it will never be recovered. We are a trusted partner of the MN Department of Human Services, and their regular support for every artist who attends provides the foundational piece for everything we do.
Now it is gone, and we have a critical need to quickly raise $100,000 to survive this crisis.
We have been wise stewards of your generous support over the years, and we have worked hard to put aside a reserve for a rainy day. But we never imagined a storm like this would come.
Right now, all of our events are cancelled, all of the joy we bring to so many people is put on hold, and our artists are struggling emotionally and creatively in the face of this great silence. Our Board of Directors is working hard to support us through these times, and to be sure we’re here to celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2021.
Please help now, so that as we weather these times together, Interact artists can look forward to a new day of creating art that challenges perceptions of disabilities.
Thank you so much for your support and friendship! You can still reach me through my regular email — jeanne@interactcenter.com — to learn more or share inspiration. I know we can do this together!
Jeanne