Community Benefit Collective

Since its first concert in June 2002, Allegro Orchestra Lancaster has brought joyful music to Lancaster. Inspired by the vision of Founder and Artistic Director, Dr. Brian Norcross, the ensemble embodies the classic definition of music by Catherine Drinker Bowen as a “conversation between friends.” Most of Allegro’s talented professional players are from Lancaster County. Their love of great music – and of playing together – shows in every performance. Our mission is to expand the appreciation and love for classical music across multiple generations in Lancaster County by making great music accessible in new, friendly and playful ways. Although our recent concerts have been canceled; we have been sharing online concerts from our archives - at no charge. As soon as Lancaster County enters the yellow phase, we will stream live concerts with small ensembles in a "pay what you want" format. October begins our 20th anniversary season with “Bach and Forth” and November brings Brass Night. If audiences are still restricted, we will live stream. Your support will be crucial in allowing Allegro to bring joy during this difficult time.

The Demuth Foundation operates two art museums in downtown Lancaster—the Demuth Museum and the Lancaster Museum of Art—and works to promote the appreciation and awareness of the visual arts in Lancaster. Our exhibitions and educational programs preserve the legacy of modernist painter Charles Demuth and his groundbreaking art, support local and regional artists, and inspire a new generation of artists. The visual arts help us find beauty and hope, and can aide in our collective recovery from COVID-19. During the last weeks, we’ve broadened our online presence and expanded our capabilities through online exhibitions, virtual artist studio tours, and online workshops. Your support will enable our staff to continue these interactive art experiences and prepare for reopening our doors. The lasting impacts of this pandemic will change the way we view art and operate our museums, requiring additional resources. With our museums closed, our earned revenue streams have significantly declined and we are relying on your generosity to continue our work in Lancaster.

The Historic Ephrata Cloister Site is located in Ephrata and actually is where Ephrata began. It began as a religious community and was founded by Conrad Beissel in 1732. Our organization is a non-profit, and we exist to support the site with programming. Our Cloister Chorus actually sings the music that was written by brothers and sisters in the religious community. We support the site by volunteering at the Visitor's Center, conducting tours, assisting with the Student Historians and the many school tours, organizing the very popular Christmas at the Cloister event, Lantern Tours among other special events during the year. We also manage The Museum Store. Due to the COVID-19 our site has been closed This has seriously hurt our revenue. We have been carefully planning for the new normal, and know that we'll face many challenges. As a non-profit, we depend on members and donors for support. We could not do what we do without donations and need your financial support at this time.

For more than 165 years, the Fulton Theatre has proudly served as our community’s meeting place and home for professional regional theatre. As such, we engage with more than 160,000 people annually through through programs and performances that entertain, educate and enlighten. The Fulton’s status as a National Historic Landmark Theatre – one of just eight theatres nationally to have this distinction – is by virtue of our mission: to create and produce exceptional theatre that moves the collective soul of our community and honors our national historic landmark. While the COVID-19 crisis has precluded our ability to gather our community at this time, the Fulton is engaging with audiences through virtual cabarets, artist features, and online Story Times for children and families. In addition, our Scenic Studio and Costume Shop staffs have steered their talents towards the production of face shields, face masks, and hospital gowns for area medical facilities and nursing homes. Your support of the Fulton at this time will allow this important work to move forward, while also ensuring that a proud cultural tradition of 165+ years continues here in our community.

Gretna Music started when music lover Dr. Carl Ellenberger convinced some of the best classical and jazz musicians on the planet to travel to Mt. Gretna and perform. 45 years and 750 concerts later, over 300,000 have enjoyed hearing over 1,400 of the finest artists in the world. This includes: 47 Grammy winners, countless Grammy nominees, 5 MacArthur fellows, and numerous winners of major national and international musical awards. We're a summer series presenting in the charming 708 seat open-air playhouse in idyllic Mt. Gretna. Yet nothing is idyllic this year with COVID. On a positive note, we are taking this time to pursue collaborations with others and alternative ways to fulfill our mission of bringing excellent music to central PA. Let’s brainstorm with you on ways to work together!

Gretna Theatre is considered America’s oldest summer theatre having opened in 1927 in the Chautauqua community of Mount Gretna. For 93 years, Gretna Theatre has been a backyard gem full of artistic vibrancy, and we can attribute our history to consistent theatre-goers throughout Central PA who are hungry for quality, professional theatre, including programs that reach over 7,500 students annually. Due to the nature of theatre, the COVID-19 crisis has had a far reaching effect, not only on our day to day operations, but our highly anticipated 2020 Summer Mainstage Season. We are forced to cancel or postpone our productions, resulting in hundreds of jobs being eliminated. The future of theatre hangs precariously as we await information on future performances. Supporting Gretna Theatre's general operations at this time enables that we are here to tell these stories for years and years to come.

The Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley(HSCV) was established in 1957 to gather, preserve, and interpret historical material associated with ten northeastern Lancaster county townships and boroughs, to conduct a public library, and to make facilities (museum and library) available for study and research. From its inception, the society has emphasized stewardship of the historical records, papers and artifacts in its possession. Our museum and library archives constitute resources that open the past to the current populace and preserve it for future generations. HSCV facilities include an 1869 mansion containing 13 rooms of exhibits covering 3 centuries of life in the Cocalico Valley, an ancillary carriage house containing a 19th century letterhead press, and a 1929 Tudor-style building housing our library and artifacts, 20,000+ photographs, documents, and ephemera. Our programs include -- monthly free public programs, out-reach programs at schools and senior living communities, tours of local historic sites, and a print shop. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, HSCV facilities are closed. Our programs and fund-raising activities are on hold and publications are limited to on-line purchases. Your donations will help us survive this invisible enemy. Contributions may be made at www.cocalicovalleyhs.org.

The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra has a mission to enrich the greater Lancaster community's vibrant culture through accessible world-class performances and to welcome and educate future generations to enjoy live music experiences. While we have had to take a pause in our programming and the release of our 2020-2021 season due to COVID-19, we are gearing up to release a series of Musicians at Home. We hope to give the Lancaster community a chance to meet the members of our incredible Symphony Orchestra.

Our Mission: LancasterHistory exists to engage and educate the public about the people, places, and events that shaped Lancaster County within the broader context of the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States of America. As custodians of a complex past, we collect, preserve, exhibit, and make accessible materials chronicling Lancaster County’s heritage as we seek to engage audiences in multi-layered stories of that past. Your Support: Makes it possible to provide engaging educational programming, preserve and interpret President Buchanan’s Wheatland, and provide low-cost admissions for underserved students and families to visit the Campus of History. During This Crisis: We are working to provide access to history from home. You’ll find a growing list of resources on our website. Our staff is working to develop new ways to educate and entertain you with the rich history of Lancaster. Visit https://www.lancasterhistory.org to see what’s new! We remain dedicated to taking care of our community and continuing to share the history of Lancaster County.

Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum is a nationally significant living history museum that collects, conserves, exhibits and interprets Pennsylvania German material culture and heritage between 1750-1940. This is accomplished through preservation and interpretation of the largest collection of Pennsylvania German artifacts in the country and through the presentation of authentic traditional farming, village and industrial life, skilled craft demonstrations, and historical animals and plants. The museum promotes education, research, programs, and events for the benefit and enjoyment of its visitors and the community.

LAA brings Latinos together to encourage the preservation, development, celebration, and promotion of the spirit, diversity, and richness of Latin American cultural heritage and shares that culture with non-Latinos. LAA is especially focused now on our many Latino entrepreneurs and their businesses, which are often the source of the family income as well as frequently culturally based. In addition, many Latino businesses are trade and service based. Our concern is these many families/businesses who are experiencing very difficult and discouraging times with regards to the sustainability of their businesses, in actuality, their family income. Jan- June is LAA's prime fundraising period. Many activities and events are on hold or have been cancelled. We are using the time to maintain contact with and encourage our sponsors, cultural artists, advertising businesses, and all Latinos personally and through social media.

A local theatre organization focused on invigorating lives through fresh theatrical experiences. Prima is currently offering Prima AtHome (primatheatre.org/athome) streaming content that raises funds to share grocery gift cards with theatre artists who are out-of-work due to COVID-19, as well as to keep Prima thriving. Additionally, Prima has announced the Hero Fund. We're asking you to invest at this crucial time in the Hero Fund. Your contribution will help ensure that awesome day ahead when we can come together again and experience the fresh theatre that invigorates each of our lives. We are sharing some unique VIP benefits to say thanks to Heroes. You have the opportunity to: * Be acknowledged prominently on the homepage of our website* *Invited to a dress rehearsal of one of our late 2020 productions* *An exclusive post-show champagne toast on-stage with the cast of Motherhood: The Musical this Fall* Help us stabilize Prima by being a Hero with your investment in Prima today.

The Red Rose Film Festival is dedicated to the growth & enrichment of the Central Pennsylvania film community. Through the promotion of independent film, new technologies and continued economic development, RRFF intends to expand tourism, industry education, job creation and better incentives for Pennsylvania film production. This festival recognizes the many voices of filmmakers & innovators across the planet and celebrates their perspectives, cultures and visions. RRFF seeks to expand an thriving arts community in Lancaster, home to world-renowned artists, musicians and entertainers. RRFF builds on this foundation and become a new arena for filmmakers to showcase global perspectives and independent thought to a variety of audiences. The long-term goal for this film festival is to enhance cultural and economic development in Lancaster and tourism throughout the region.

The circa 1794 Lancaster home and estate of Revolutionary War General Edward Hand, Rock Ford provides an outstanding example of late Georgian style architecture and, together with its extensive collection of period furniture and decorative arts, has been a beloved Lancaster museum since 1960. Offering an array of programs and special events ranging from children to adult and visited by several thousand people each year, Rock Ford has been forced into a full shutdown by the state. All income from admissions, as well as rental income from onsite weddings and special events, has been lost. The new John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery of Early Lancaster County Decorative Arts, previously scheduled to open on June 20th, has had its opening indefinitely delayed.

Vocal Harmonix is the Lancaster, PA Chapter of Sweet Adelines International, connecting women around the world in one sisterhood. We are a premier women’s a cappella show chorus providing musical, educational and leadership opportunities while entertaining audiences in the region. We’re dedicated to preserving the unique sound of a cappella barbershop harmony, sharing our passion for music and empowering women. We were the host chorus of our regional competition to be held in Lancaster May 1st-3rd. Sadly that competition was cancelled. We also had to cancel all our performances in the spring and summer. Due to the inability to rehearse, it is likely our fall show at the Ware Center and two bookings for Christmas will also be cancelled. We ordered new costumes for the regional competition and the revenue from our shows and bookings were going to cover that cost. Vocal Harmonix is truly a sisterhood and although we get together via Zoom to sing (all of us on Mute - LOL) and learn, we look forward to being together again when it is safe for to do so.