Columbus Music Co-Op caps successful 2009 by announcing disbursements, new board appointments
Organization expands, raising health care funds for working musicians
Local non-profit the Columbus Music Co-Op (CMC) has capped a successful 2009 with the disbursement of nearly $10,000 for the year, funds that will be used to cover the costs of much needed health care for several area working musicians. In addition, CMC has added two new board members, growing to its largest size in the organization’s three-year history.
Through a series of music and art events during the summer of 2009—Parking Lot Blowout, Urban Scrawl, Independent’s Day—CMC raised funds for its Columbus Musicians Assistance Program (CMAP), which disburses mini-grants to working Central Ohio musicians who are lacking health insurance coverage and are experiencing health-related financial hardships. (Criteria and application information for CMAP is available at the CMC website at columbusmusiccoop.org).
“Our goal is to be able to provide working musicians in Columbus with assistance when it’s most needed,” said CMC Executive Director, Erin Moore. “And more people than ever are seeing the value of what we’re trying to do—we’re confident we’ll be able to break the $10K threshold in 2010.”
While CMC’s foremost goal is to provide short-term funds for working musicians who are in need of health care, the organization has larger, more long-range goals on its agenda: health care advocacy and enhancing the cultural landscape of Columbus.
“We would honestly prefer not having to raise money for supplemental health care, says Moore. “But until universal health care is an option for everyone, we fill a void for a slice of the population we care deeply about.” Beyond advocacy, there are also the benefits to the economy of Central Ohio. Moore adds, “If creative people can’t find a welcoming environment here, they will move somewhere else. We see our efforts as enriching the cultural landscape and enabling economic growth in a discreet but fundamental manner.”
To aid in those efforts, new board members—Shirley Tobias and Jerry Dannemiller—bring CMC board membership to seven, the most in the organization’s three-year history. Tobias is a User Experience Designer with Nationwide and Dannemiller is Director of Marketing at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Both bring a wealth of experience to the board, having played and/or written about music for many years. “Shirley and Jerry bring a new level of visibility and credibility to CMC. Both have great reputations in the music scene (and beyond) for their passion and creativity,” said board president Jessica Faller. “I’m ecstatic they’ll be able to bring those same qualities to the CMC.” Besides Moore, Faller, Dannemiller, and Tobias, the CMC board includes Laddan Shoar, Elizabeth Lessner, and Ben Chenoweth.
Initiatives for CMC in 2010 ar many: full 501(c)3 status, extending CMC’s reach into a broader cross-secion of musical communties, a “Local Music Month” in July, and new corporate sponsorships around and expanded slate of fundraising events, including the 5th Parking Lot Blowout (mark your calendars now: July 10, 2010).
