Fundraising website jumps into action

N.C. Dance Theatre doesn't go onstage with Mark Diamond's "Bolero" for another six weeks or so, but the performances' first leap took place Monday: On first day of the Art & Science Council's new fundraising website, $10,000 came in to help cover the NCDT's costs.

NCDT's request was one of five that were completely funded within hours of the unveiling of power2give.org. The site enables cultural groups to post projects that need financial backing. It's part of the ASC's effort to energize its fundraising by going beyond its annual wintertime campaign, which seeks money for dozens of arts groups' general operations.

As of Monday afternoon, 84 donors has pledged a total of $105,000, ASC vice president Krista Terrell said. Out of the 50-plus requests on the site, these five were completely covered:

NCDT's "Bring a Ballet to Life": $10,000 to sponsor a revival of "Bolero," choreographed by NCDT's Mark Diamond in 2008. The money helps with the choreography fee, dancer time and costumes. The performances are Oct. 13-15.

Another from NCDT, "Outfit our Dreams": $1,038 to buy uniforms for children taking dance classes through NCDT REACH, a program for students whose families can't afford classes on their own. The girls' uniforms, $24.80 each, include leotards. NCDT mercifully allows the boys, whose outfits cost $36.80, to wear shorts and T shirts rather than tights.

Community School of the Arts' "Music Lessons for All": $1,300 to give need-based financial aid. Each $100 pays for a month's work of weekly 45-minute lessons.

The Charlotte Symphony's "Discover the Magical World of Music with Lollipops": $600 to buy craft materials for children's activities during the pre-concert festivals of the orchestra's Lollipops series.

Children's Theatre of Charlotte's "Help CTC Fill 'er Up": $560 to buy gas for the van that shuttles the company's professional touring troupe, the Taradiddle Players, throughout the Carolinas and Virginia.

The projects reached their finish lines with the help of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The foundation, established by former owners of the Charlotte Observer and other newspapers, is matching all pledges to the site up to a total $100,000.