Short Summary

In the past two years, my wife and I have fallen in love with Savanna, Illinois. This scrappy town on the banks of the Mississippi River was recently named USA Today's Best Small Town For Adventure, and with good reason! It boasts a beautiful view of the Mississippi River, the stunning Mississippi Palisades State Park, a sprawling bike path through pristine natural spaces, opportunities to boat, fish, kayak, climb, and to meet some of the kindest, most interesting residents and travelers that you could ever hope to encounter.

It is there that we would like to open The Sanctuary, a unique event venue housed in a former chapel, poised to be a destination for weddings, performing arts events, visual artist/artisan events, and all the special moments that life has to offer. It will be a destination for travelers and for the local community.

We want to create a space for inclusive religious, non-religious, and spiritual weddings and ceremonies that have the beauty and solemnity of traditional church services without having to ascribe to a particular belief system.

We want to create a space for unique, intimate acoustic concerts and artistic events.

We want to create a space that builds community and welcomes guests to this special town.

What We Need & What You Get

In order to get started in earnest, we would like to raise

• $30,000 to assist us with our initial renovation budget
• $12,000 to assist us in securing funding for the purchase of the building

Our stretch goal of $90,000 will allow us to:

• Purchase the building outright, allowing us to open sooner and under far less financial strain.
• Extend our renovation budget to make this place really SHINE right away!

What's in it for you:

• Our unique perks will give you ground floor access to everything that The Sanctuary has to offer. Maybe you want to check out the space before anyone else can. Or you'd like to book your wedding or special event before the public has access to our calendar. Perhaps you want to advertise your unique vendor business to folks who attend events with us. Whatever you're looking for, there is a special perk for you! 

The Impact

Savanna, IL is a town that is zinging with progress and possibility. When you help to make this dream a reality, you are not just supporting the development of a space or a business, you are supporting the continued growth and revitalization of an entire community, helping others see what we already know: Savanna is the place to be!

Risks & Challenges

As is the case with any new venture, there are some risks.

• There is a possibility that it will take a bit of time for the venue to gain the attention that it deserves.
  • We are prepared to stick with it, and we are confident that, with the support of the Savanna community and our many talented and creative friends, we can spread the word and make this happen.
• There is a possibility that there will be unexpected expenses that we encounter.
  • We have had an inspection done by a reputable professional inspector, who deemed the building in "good" condition. There are challenges that we know we will need to address, but we are prepared to address them over time, and they should not delay our ability to open in a timely manner.
  •  Still, if unseen expenses occur, we can utilize our financial resources to chip away at them until we get where we are going. The support of a successful crowdfunding campaign would free up many of our personal resources to deal with the unexpected, if needed.
  • Though we cannot cancel or delete our campaign once it has begun, we will keep our contributors well informed of any challenges that we run into along the way and how we are working to overcome those challenges. 
• There is a possibility that the current pandemic will limit our opportunities for large indoor events.
  • We already have a back-up plan/supplementary plan for making some if not all public events hybrid streaming events until the pandemic has passed, if necessary. This will allow for a viable income stream even in the event that we have to limit our current capacity.

We do not take this project lightly. We are willing to put in the sweat equity to make this new venture a reality. We have the experience in entrepreneurship and arts promotion that will allow us to make the most of our modest resources. We already have a successful short-term rental property in the community, and connections with service providers and influential leaders.

We are confident that we can make this campaign count!

With the support of this community, we will have the validation that we need to move forward through the challenges.

Other Ways You Can Help

Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:

• Please use the Indiegogo share tools and promote our campaign on all of your preferred social media platforms.
• Contact us to discuss your special event plans (wedding, arts event, etc.) and/or any special skills that you would like to offer.
• Contact us to discuss a public arts event that you would like to co-sponsor and/or perform in.