It’s a sign of the times. Fundraising dollars for charities and community organizations are hard to come by. When they do come, it’s not always enough to say “thank you.” Sometimes you need to pay proper respect to those who support you by writing it in stone.
In the case of Arts and Heritage St. Albert, the writing is on the wall.
The city’s cultural giant unveiled its donor recognition wall during a special ceremony on Wednesday evening. The guests, naturally, were the very people whose names are now featured prominently on the wall, located in the replica train station on the site of the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park.
According to Paul Moulton, the organization’s executive director, it’s a two-way street. You recognize your major donors because they recognized you first.
“A lot of people probably don’t know who we are,” he began, explaining the challenges of promoting something intangible. “When you mention the name of the organization, some people may not know what we do.”
He went on to say that lots of people visit the Grain Elevator Park, the Little White School, the Father Lacombe Chapel, the Art Gallery of St. Albert, and the MusĂ©e HĂ©ritage Museum, or at least their children do through Arts and Heritage’s many school programs.
“They may not necessarily know that it was us that delivered the program that their kids got to go to that day. It’s a much bigger community than we give it credit for, but a lot of people don’t recognize that they have a connection to us until you point it out.”
Bridging the gap then is the key to keeping a strong and still growing donor-recipient relationship. Moulton stated that he’s very grateful for all of the financial support that comes from individuals, businesses and the various levels of government. The wall is just one more way that he gets to demonstrate that sentiment but in a more permanent and prominent sense.
“It gives people the recognition that they deserve. People need to be recognized and appreciated and thanked.”
To learn more about becoming a donor, please call the Arts and Heritage Foundation at 780-459-1194 or visit www.artsheritage.com.
The St. Albert Train Station and Grain Elevator Park are located at 4 Meadowview Dr.
