Greetings Friends of Ethnic Folk Dance and Music:
Hello, I'm Paul Collins, director of the Door County Folk Festival – (click for DCFF website), and I'm also director of the Virtual Dance Room – (click for VDR website ).
As of 16 June, 2024, I wish to thank 67donors who have made 56 donations for a total of $8,840.
The DCFF and VDR requested your assistance to reach (or exceed) the 2024 Fundraising Goal of $8,500, by mid-June 2024. With your assitance, we exceeded the goal by raising $8,840.
The DCFF is a dance and music festival based in NE Wisconsin since 1980. During the height of the pandemic DCFF was hosted on Zoom by the VDR (2020-2022). In 2023, DCFF returned as an in-person event at a new location (Kress Pavilion in Egg Harbor, WI).
The VDR, an outgrowth of EDC (Ethnic Dance Chicago), was formed at the beginning of the pandemic to offer a safe online forum where the International Folk Dance (IFD) community could continue to dance and celebrate traditional and contemporary folk dances of the world’s nationalities and ethnic groups.
I thank everyone who helped us reach our 2022 fundraising goal. We are now initiating a 2024 GoFundMe Campaign for the DCFF and the VDR. Your donations will be used to:
DCFF
- Secure the July 12-14 DCFF reservation dates for the Kress Pavilion (Egg Harbor, WI) facility which must be paid for in advance
- Rebuild the DCFF Work Scholar Fund that enables students and others with limited budgets to participate at reduced rates in exchange for administrative assistance
- Negotiate terms and deposits with select lodging partners (motels, campgrounds) in order to secure more favorable rates for festival participants
- Develop pricing models that keep DCFF affordable for a broad range of participants
- Revive DCFF’s community service program that provides entertainment to Door County retirement communities, such as Good Samaritan-Scandia Village
- Rebuild DCFF’s cultural outreach & creativity programs that serve local youth programs, such as the Northern Door YMCA, and local school districts
VDR
- Expand activities that attract both the international folk dance (IFD) community and Chicago Area ethnic communities to social events which offer opportunities to exchange dances, to dance to live music, to share experiences and to sample the cuisines of different cultures. (The VDR has already produced successful programs that have brought together the IFD community and various ethnic communities including, Serbian, Bulgarian, Peruvian and Greek)
- Build a touring artist fund that would enable VDR to engage teachers and performers on tour for special events
- Continue to expand the diverse pool of globally-based dance leaders and musicians to host sets in VDR sessions (VDR/EDC)
- Ensure honoraria for VDR musicians for their artistic contributions (VDR/EDC)
DCFF & VDR
- Establish contingency plans to cover price increases, equipment repair and replacement, and unexpected charges
- Develop and maintain stronger relationships with International Folk Dance (IFD) groups whose members attend and support DCFF and VDR activities
- Refine marketing and social media messaging to key audiences across the spectrum of social networks (ethnic and social dancing, as well as non-dancing) in order to develop new markets for dancing
- Improve the quality of virtual participation and enhance the overall experience of remote participants
- Serve as an online platform for social discourse among virtual participants with shared interests that can lead to enriched in-person contact when participants visit each other face to face
- Continue development of the document “A History of Chicago Folk Dancing”, while updating the timelines, adding additional photographs and transforming the writing into a more narrative format that would be appropriate for book form
- Complete accounting/legal work for 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, tax exempt status
Potential Donors
We're reaching out to request support from communities that are passionate about honoring and sustaining America's diverse cultural heritages, including:
- Previous and past DCFF and VDR participants and donors
- Members of dance communities who’ve not yet attended DCFF or VDR
- Enthusiasts of ethnic and contemporary folk dance, folk music and folk singing, and lovers of contra, square and round dance
- Members of ethnic communities who appreciate how DCFF and VDR work to honor and preserve their traditions and cultures
Donation Methods
- When you donate online, you may do so either publicly (sharing your name) or privately (anonymously) through our GoFundMe page:
- Click for 2024 DCFF GoFundMe Page (you're already here)
- You may donate offline by mailing a check (Payable to DCFF or VDR) to:
- DCFF/VDR - P. O. Box 25548 - Chicago, IL 60625
We ask you to forward this GFM notice to friends and colleagues who might be willing and able to help.
No amount is too small or too large – we appreciate all donations.
Thanks for your consideration,
Paul Collins
Organizer
