Friends of Lotus
“Exposure to the arts in childhood is a very strong predictor of participation in the arts as an adult. Indeed, it [is] even a stronger prediction than age or income. So it’s crucial to get people in the culture habit while they’re young.”
– Arts Data Profile 2015 Report, National Endowment for the Arts
For the past twenty years, Lotus has encouraged this “culture habit” by bringing the world to our youngest audiences through Lotus Blossoms – our dedicated outreach program. Since its inception, Lotus Blossoms has engaged over 110,000 young people in Monroe and surrounding counties with music, song, dance, and storytelling from around the globe, building appreciation and respect for different cultural traditions and the people who bring them to life.
“Friends of Lotus” – people just like you – make Blossoms possible and are indispensable partners in this journey. This year’s budget for Lotus Blossoms tops $30,000, and we depend on Friends donations to cover nearly 80% of these expenses.
Your tax-deductible gift helps:
- Invite top-notch artists representing Finland, Japan, Uganda, Indonesia, and the US.
- “Adopt” a school for interactive outreach performances across Southern Indiana.
- Bring performances to partners such as StoneBelt ARC and Boys & Girls Club.
- Create the 20th Anniversary Lotus Blossoms World Bazaar, a bustling multicultural fair just for students and families, with free demonstrations, displays, performances, and a range of creative hands-on arts activities.
- Support five free public presentations (more information at lotusfest.org).
With your support, Lotus can keep bringing world-class global ambassadors into our schools and communities. Let’s work together to build the “culture habit” and offer a world of arts to our children, setting them on a lifetime path filled with beauty, respect, and wonder.
Please join us by making a gift today. You can make a donation by clicking:
Your support is invaluable. Thank you!
P.S. Remember those 110,000 young people who have experienced Blossoms? Lotus hopes to be around for their grandchildren, too. Please consider making an additional gift to the Lotus-Fitzgerald Endowment to ensure that Lotus outreach is sustained for generations to come. We need just over $20,000 more by March 31 to meet our third and final $100,000 Matchstick challenge, with a 1:2 challenge match from the Community Foundation. Now is the perfect time to make an investment in the future of Lotus and the future of visionary arts programming that nurtures our curiosity about different cultures, people, and places. Will you help us reach our Endowment goal?
