from glitches to riches: $3.75 mil for arts & culture raised yesterday

By Travis R. Wright

Aug 19, 2009 at 1:40 pm

Audio By Carbonatix

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On Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan opened its virtual doors to the public in order to raise funds for Detroit area arts and culture programs. CFSEM pledged $1 million towards a 50% donation match.

Nobody expected what happened next.

In the first two hours CFSEM's website, cfsem.org, had crashed ... multiple times. The number of people visiting the site, making donations was just too much. After the technical glitches were sorted out by the brainiacs that be, the numbers started to come in. At 12:30 p.m., CFSEM learned the first $500,000 had been exhausted. The second half was gone in the hours to follow.

Before day's end, CFSEM scrounged-up another $250,000 for donation matches, and the folks of Southeast Michigan evidently found another $500,000.

When all was said and done, over $3.75 million had been raised for 75 various programs.

For those who haven't been paying attention, 2009 has been the single most barren year for arts and culture funding the state of Michigan has seen. This support could not have come at a better time.

What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of phenomenal.

Be proud.

Though CFSEM can no longer match, they are still accepting donations at cfsem.org