Dear ArtSpring supporters:
We desperately need your help. You may already have seen this plea from the Chair of the Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council, but action from our community is critical! The proposed County budget eliminates all $11.168 million of general fund support for the grants programs of the Department of Cultural Affairs - if enacted, this would "zero out" grants to approximately 400 cultural organizations, including ArtSpring.
I urge you to take the following important actions now to help save the County's cultural arts budget and help keep ArtSpring's programs in correctional facilities throughout the County:
--- Personalize and send e-mails, faxes and letters to every County Commissioner, the Mayor and the County Manager (see below for a sample message).
---Call every key County official and emphasize specifically how important County arts support is to you and/or your cultural organization (County contact list is available below).
---Attend and register to speak at the two upcoming County Commission Budget Hearings where the County's budget will be discussed and finalized for the coming year. Both Budget Hearings are being held at 5:01 pm on Thursday, September 3 and Thursday September 17 in the County Commission Chamber, 111 N.W. 1st Street, 2nd Floor. Crowds are expected so get there early and be prepared to wait to make your case (a fact sheet with important information about the impact of our cultural community is available here); you will have two minutes to speak.
At a recent town meeting convened by the Cultural Affairs Council, County Commission Chair Dennis Moss and Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council Chair Adolfo Henriques emphasized how serious this budget crisis is and how critical it is for as many of us as possible to make our voices heard right now. It was acknowledged that Mayor Alvarez, the County Commission, and County Manager George Burgess have a track record of supporting the cultural community. It is essential to keep your message positive, focus on the importance of County support to the arts and personally tell your story about the impact of the arts on the economy, jobs and our community's families and children. Please forward this message to as many people as possible. Chairman Moss stressed the need to send email blasts and make phone calls to inundate our Commissioners with messages from the citizens of this County how important the arts are to the life (and safety) of this community.
As Sheila Austin said at this meeting, "Would you rather see a kid with an AK-47 or a kid with a paintbrush, or trumpet?''
Together, our voices can make a difference in fully restoring County support for the arts. Thank you for your help.
SAMPLE MESSAGE
[Please personalize this draft message. It is suggested that just two or three of the bullet points included below be used as examples.]
Dear [ _______,]
I am writing to urge you to support the full restoration of funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs' grants programs. I know that you have tough choices to make about next year's budget but please know that the arts are part of the solution for re-energizing our economy and making our community great.
Here are a few important facts:
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Every dollar of County arts support leverages $27 dollars of other funds.
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Arts organizations generate a billion dollars in local economic impact annually.
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12 million people attend arts events every year.
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Other businesses depend on the arts. People who attend arts events spend more than a half a billion dollars, parking their cars, eating in local restaurants and shopping.
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Cultural activities provide more than 2 million experiences every year to the children of our county.
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Our community's outstanding arts activities are giving Miami-Dade a worldwide competitive edge in attracting tourism and business.
Those are the economic facts. I also want to tell you about how important County support for the arts is to me [(or to my organization). Tell your story here].
What you do now will have an effect on the entire course of our economy and our community. I am counting on your support for maintaining funding for the County's investments in the arts.
Thank you for your help.
Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners
Click here to find out who your Commissioner is:
District 1 Barbara J. Jordan 305-375-5694 District1@miamidade.gov
District 2 Dorrin D. Rolle 305-375-4833 BMORRIS2@miamidade.gov
District 3 Audrey M. Edmonson 305-375-5393 District3@miamidade.gov
District 4 Sally A. Heyman 305-375-5128 District4@miamidade.gov
District 5 Bruno A. Barreiro 305-643-8525 District5@miamidade.gov
District 6 Rebeca Sosa 305-375-5696 District6@miamidade.gov
District 7 Carlos A. Gimenez 305-375-5680 District7@miamidade.gov
District 8 Katy Sorenson 305-375-5218 District8@miamidade.gov
District 9 Dennis C. Moss (Chairman) 305-375-4832 DennisMoss@miamidade.gov
District 10 Javier D. Souto 305-375-4835 District10@miamidade.gov
District 11 Joe A. Martinez 305-375-5511 District11@miamidade.gov
District 12 José "Pepe" Diaz 305-375-4343 District12@miamidade.gov
District 13 Natcha Seijas 305-375-4831 No email - Fax 305-375-2011
Mayor Alvarez http://www.miamidade.gov/mayor/
