Columbus Symphony Supporters Issue Fundraising Challenge to Community

Columbus Symphony Supporters Issue Fundraising Challenge to Community

Melvin, Ross Families Fund Major Matching Grants

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Columbus Symphony is pleased to announce that four enthusiastic supporters and patrons of the Columbus Symphony, Anne and Noel Melvin and Andy and Sandy Ross, have issued two community challenge grants totaling $580,000 to the central Ohio community. Prior to August 31, 2007, the Melvins will match any new or renewed corporate or business financial contributions to the Symphony before August 31, 2007 up to $500,000, and the Ross' will match any new or increased individual or corporate financial contributions made to the symphony up to $80,000. The Melvins and Ross' made these gifts in honor of the Symphony musicians and the great artistic success during the inaugural season of Music Director Junichi Hirokami. Both families believe strongly in the artistic mission of the Columbus Symphony, and want to encourage the community to support an organization that plays a vital role in enriching the lives of the people of central Ohio.

"We are very excited about the possibilities of this match," said Anne and Noel Melvin of the match. "It can motivate many new contributors who have never, or not recently, donated to the Columbus Symphony. The corporate and small business community is being given the opportunity to join hands with the orchestra and provide some of the wonderful music that our community values. They will be helping to support the many youth orchestras and their activities, the Picnic with the Pops series in the summer, the superb all- volunteer chorus, and their contributions will help make our downtown the special go-to place where music excellence excites and stimulates audiences of all ages."

"The great artistic success of this season with Maestro Hirokami and the fine musicians of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra has been wonderful to hear," said Andy Ross. "Sandy and I hope our offer to match new or additional donations will inspire other individuals and businesses to increase their own generosity at this critical time in the orchestra's history."

"We are enormously grateful to the Melvins and Ross' for their commitments," said Tony Beadle, Executive Director of the Columbus Symphony. "At a time when there is an urgent public discussion about arts funding and the need to broaden the contributor base, the Melvins and Ross' moved from discussion to action. With this extremely generous gift, both families have challenged others in the community to join them in supporting the mission of the Columbus Symphony to create an orchestra of sustainable artistic excellence. It takes people with this breadth of vision to initiate change; it takes others with an appreciation for the value of arts and cultural institutions to bring that change about. We are fortunate to have both of these attributes in Anne and Noel and Andy and Sandy. We are equally as fortunate to have those who will follow in their footsteps by meeting this challenge with their own support, bringing the promise of this gift to fruition."

Media contact:
Kim Paysor, PR Manager
614-228-9600 x1334

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Source: Columbus Symphony

CONTACT: Kim Paysor, PR Manager, Columbus Symphony,
+1-614-228-9600 x1334

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