If anyone had predicted that COVID- 19 would close the Sierra 2 Center for more than a year, we might have thought them crazy. In fact, by the time Big Day of Giving rolls around on May 6, Sierra 2 will have been shuttered for nearly 14 months.
During last year’s Big Day of Giving, our Curtis Park community stepped up to help in a big way, donating $53,000. SCNA has set a larger goal for this year, hoping to raise $75,000.
We can do it with your help. The money raised will go to sustaining Sierra 2 through the summer and early fall when we hope something like normalcy will return and revenues start to trickle in again. The SCNA board has worked diligently month after month, hand-in hand with Executive Director Terri Shettle to keep our organization afloat. Grants were sought, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money received, staff cutbacks made and more to keep us in a financial holding pattern for the day the center might thrive again with dancers, theater audiences, wedding attendees, artists and more.
While we know things are starting to open up around town, it’s still unlikely that Sierra 2 will resume as quickly as others given restrictions on large group gatherings.
For this reason, our financial needs are real and sizable. Even closed, Sierra 2 requires $5,000 a month in utility costs. For many months this past year we operated at a deficit of $18,000 a month to maintain a skeletal staff and keep the building safe and secure.
PPP funds have helped considerably, but we still operate at a deficit of up to $4,000 a month, a number that could climb as high as $18,000 a month when the second PPP loan runs out mid-summer. To add insult to injury, the one big winter storm of 2021 caused roof damage to the building that could cost as much as $100,000 to repair.
For a complete statement of Sierra 2 financial needs, visit sierra2.org.
Watch for Big Day of Giving lawn signs springing up throughout the neighborhood showing support for Sierra 2. Notice social media blasts encouraging you to donate. Expect calls and emails from board members seeking your donation.
But you need not wait to be asked. Go directly to bigdayofgiving.org/sierra2center between April 22 and May 6 to donate. If you prefer, checks can be made to SCNA and brought directly to the front of Sierra 2 on May 6. Watch for special festivities in front of the building on the Big Day of Giving.
With your help, we can turn the corner to gather again.