For Nuçi’s Space, our
struggle is in funding our activities and continuing to realize our vision. We’re
pretty good at it, if you look at the 2830% increase in services offered
annually over our14-year history. But it is an
endless, ongoing process and we do it all without government assistance,
finding our funding via gifts, grants, and client co-pay.
As stated, we have
received the $60,600 necessary to renovate the steeple, and we’ve begun raising
funds for our programs.
We are more than halfway
to our goal of $250,000, but really need to get all the way there because of
one fact: Our work is never done.
A year’s worth of
subsidized appointments and youth outreach costs $151,000.
That includes 1200
subsidized counseling appointments for 250 uninsured musicians, at a cost of
$48,000, and 1000
subsidized psychiatric appointments for 250 uninsured musicians at $52,000.
The
cost of 40 scholarships to Camp Amped Summer sessions is $24,000 and 40
scholarships to Camp Amped After School sessions cost $12,000.
Access
to discounted eye care appointments, providing meeting space for community
support groups, and fundraising account for $49,800, bringing the total up to
$250,000.
Anything
we may collect above that will be used to create a reserve fund to ensure the
long-term stability of the Nuçi’s Space programs and services. None will be
used for administrative expenses.
Who's helping
It
wouldn’t have been possible for Nuçi’s Space to accept ownership and future
stewardship of the historic St. Mary’s Steeple without the initial support of
founding campaign sponsors, Kenneth and Anna Zankel. The Zankels, who first
heard about Nuçi’s Space through Drive-By Truckers front-man, Patterson Hood,
saw the significance of the project and its potential for bringing greater
attention to our work. They gave a restricted donation to be used specifically
for the steeple project which allowed Executive Director Bob Sleppy to move
forward in hiring Whitsel Construction, a company with more than 30 years of
experience in restoration and renovation of historic structures, to assess the
condition and feasibility of restoring the steeple, as well as hire Marc
Tissenbaum to serve as project manager of the fundraising campaign.
When you look at
the list of musicians who have come together to collaborate with us on this
project, it becomes evident what a special place Athens, Georgia is in the
history of pop music: we have great perks currently listed from
the B-52s, Widespread Panic, Drive-By Truckers, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Pylon,
plus a cool 1989 R.E.M. Green World tour jacket. We also have great packages still to
unveil from Danger Mouse, Hardy Morris,
Drivin' n Cryin', Patterson Hood, of Montreal, Happy Happy Birthday to Me
Records, and Cloud
Recordings/Elephant 6. So, we have a lot to offer fans of the Athens music
scene over the next 20 days.
What you receive for your donation
We have sold, and will continue to sell cool
contributions from members of our music community, but the literal building
blocks of our campaign are bricks.
![]()
(Chad Osburn)
The Steeple Brick/Name Recognition perk gets you a brick, featuring an attached medallion of authenticity, that was removed from the steeple during stabilization, and a paper Certificate of Authenticity, plus name recognition on the steeple donor wall. Making a donor wall dedication is a great way to connect yourself or
someone you love to the Athens music scene forever. It is a touching tribute to
someone no longer here, whose love and influence helped shape your life. It is
a fine gift to your children, who can come back throughout their lives and find
their names and feel that connection. It is a great way to fill in the details
of Athens music history by adding your band name, if you are one of the many,
many thousands of people who have participated in the music scene over the
years.
As an
agency that assists adult musicians in need and also encourages young musicians
through the mentorship of Camp Amped, we feel like this is a way to combine all
of the support people feel for the Athens music scene, the hard and sobering
work that we are called upon to do, and our love and nurturing of the youth
that are inheriting our legacy. This wall will truly be a community wall, and
it will prove that community is a feeling of love and sharing that goes beyond
geographic boundaries and connects us all.
So if you’ve ever
been inspired by one of our artist contributors, please help us. If you’ve ever
been moved by music anywhere, please donate to our cause. Life is an amazing
experience, made even more so by the soundtracks that musicians create for us
to enjoy as we make our way through it.
With your help,
we’ll do everything we can to keep the music alive, one musician at a time.
(Rendering by Erik Ladd for Koons Environmental Design)
(Jason Thrasher)
(Camp Amped, Jason Thrasher)
(Chad Osburn)
