Inspiration for Week 13

Week 12 is over.

You know what the best part of this campaign is, other than the writing and the money raised for Pyramid, its the emails that I receive from you.  I enjoy them so much.  I am so encouraged and energized when I receive an email from someone who makes a connection and gets inspired.  It makes the long nights are worth it.  It makes the campaign worth it and we are at 450,000 pennies today (or $4,500.)  This mound of copper is a testament to your inspiration, so...here is your inspiration for this week:

"One of the things my wife likes to say is that you have two families: the Dominguez Family and the Pyramid Family.  She's right.  Being an Executive Director is like having two families.  Two homes, two budgets, two sets of family members and extended family members, two sets of people counting on you and needing the best you got. 

That list grows because people, of all ages and all abilities, come to Pyramid everyday.  Some are looking for a place to make art, some just moved into town and are looking to make friends, some are looking for an opportunity to grow professionally, some are just looking, not sure for what, but a need has brought them to Pyramid.   A need that the outside world could not meet.  A need that could only be met in the studio, in the gallery in our community.  They find it here at Pyramid and they grow and grow and just keep growing.

I don't want to let these people down.  I don't want to let anyone down because I know what it is to need a place and a family.  When I was a teenager, the theatre was my place and artists were my family.  They filled my need to belong to something.  I had a large diverse family.  Black, white, gay, straight, rich, poor, old and young.  They never let me down and I never let them down.  My mistakes were fortunate accidents and my clumsiness were dance moves.  My lack of sophistication was poetic.  

I hate letting people down.  I hate coming up short.  It feels too human to do that, but I have and I learned something from it.  People see the good and love you anyway. They know you.  They forgive you and they love you for what you are not and that person that you aren't is really interesting.  That person is alot more interesting than that other "you", that you thought you needed to be." 

I hope I inspired you this week.  I hope you will join my ever growing "Penny Family" and help support art classes and workshops, internships, studios for artists and events for people of all ages at Pyramid. Its easy to be a part of the family:

• Contact me to pick up your pennies I will pick them up, count them and give you a tax receipt for your charitable contribution!
• Make a Penny drop. Drop your pennies off at Pyramid. I will count them and give you a tax receipt.
• Visit a Penny Partner and drop your pennies. Go to Fillmore Silver Spring, Kefa Cafe, Velatis Caramels, ArtSpring,Plaza Artist Materials, Zipcar, Firestation 1 , The Toole Design Group, and Statland & Katz.

If all this penny stuff is too complicated and you just want to make a contribution, you can donate in any form of currency to Pyramid Atlantic by clicking here. I will add up your donation in pennies and include it in my campaign.

I will take all your pennies to my friends at Eagle Bank.