Rozz-Tox Winter Fund
Donation protected
Hi All.
Firstly, what this money is going towards:
Building lease, utilities, licensing, insurance and whatever else it takes to keep us here through the winter.
And now some sentiments:
We were planning on reopening the inside on 11.11.2020 with strict guidelines. However, with a rise in COVID cases the state has once again put in place mitigations to reduce the spread which bans indoor service altogether.
Illinois Department of Commerce (DECO): https://dceocovid19resources.com/assets/Restore-Illinois/COVID-19-Resurgence-Migitations.pdf
It's been nearly 9 months since we closed for quarantine, 7 months since we started doing the pulley system, and almost 6 months ago we started hosting outdoor events in the garden and the Laborspace Park and using the walk-up window for ordering.
We have been as safe as possible during this, yet we still need to pay bills on only 40% of the income we had pre-pandemic. The spring community sourcing we did was very successful; your contributions helped us until we were able to open at reduced capacity, and we are very grateful for that. We were able to receive a small grant through SBA and the city of Rock Island, which helped to carry us through until now.
We have applied for the second round of the Business Interruption Grant in September and are still waiting for that with fingers crossed. That said, we know the system is not setup to help small family businesses like ours and we aren't seeing anywhere near the amount of support from our government that we need to survive this. As many of you are aware, the majority of our business came from live music & other events, and for the most part live music and touring artists have halted with no return date in sight.
Moreover, the government still has no stimulus plan for music venues, and although organizations like NIVA are working hard to get that passed, there is still no news of if/when it will happen. Remember: music venues were the first to close, and will be the last to reopen. Let's make sure not every venue in this country is owned by Live Nation when this is over.
I'm going to be honest with you: without our regular program, and a packed house a few times per month I don't know how long we can last, although we intend on doing everything we can to try. I've read that 90 percent of independent music venues across the country are in danger of closing for good. I do not want ROZZ-TOX to be part of that statistic, but i will need help from the RT community. Help us get through the winter so that we can still be here for you when this is over.
I want you all to know that your support over the years is not lost on us, and it is difficult to ask you again for more help, knowing how much you have already done.
With Love & Appreciation,
Benjamin Fawks
Firstly, what this money is going towards:
Building lease, utilities, licensing, insurance and whatever else it takes to keep us here through the winter.
And now some sentiments:
We were planning on reopening the inside on 11.11.2020 with strict guidelines. However, with a rise in COVID cases the state has once again put in place mitigations to reduce the spread which bans indoor service altogether.
Illinois Department of Commerce (DECO): https://dceocovid19resources.com/assets/Restore-Illinois/COVID-19-Resurgence-Migitations.pdf
It's been nearly 9 months since we closed for quarantine, 7 months since we started doing the pulley system, and almost 6 months ago we started hosting outdoor events in the garden and the Laborspace Park and using the walk-up window for ordering.
We have been as safe as possible during this, yet we still need to pay bills on only 40% of the income we had pre-pandemic. The spring community sourcing we did was very successful; your contributions helped us until we were able to open at reduced capacity, and we are very grateful for that. We were able to receive a small grant through SBA and the city of Rock Island, which helped to carry us through until now.
We have applied for the second round of the Business Interruption Grant in September and are still waiting for that with fingers crossed. That said, we know the system is not setup to help small family businesses like ours and we aren't seeing anywhere near the amount of support from our government that we need to survive this. As many of you are aware, the majority of our business came from live music & other events, and for the most part live music and touring artists have halted with no return date in sight.
Moreover, the government still has no stimulus plan for music venues, and although organizations like NIVA are working hard to get that passed, there is still no news of if/when it will happen. Remember: music venues were the first to close, and will be the last to reopen. Let's make sure not every venue in this country is owned by Live Nation when this is over.
I'm going to be honest with you: without our regular program, and a packed house a few times per month I don't know how long we can last, although we intend on doing everything we can to try. I've read that 90 percent of independent music venues across the country are in danger of closing for good. I do not want ROZZ-TOX to be part of that statistic, but i will need help from the RT community. Help us get through the winter so that we can still be here for you when this is over.
I want you all to know that your support over the years is not lost on us, and it is difficult to ask you again for more help, knowing how much you have already done.
With Love & Appreciation,
Benjamin Fawks
Organizer
Benjamin Fawks
Organizer
Rock Island, IL
