Dear Editor: Our team is still feeling the joy and gratitude from Saturday night’s Jazz on the Waterfront gala. It was so wonderful to see our community from Sitka and beyond share music and fellowship. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we met our fundraising goal for the night, matching Carol Odess’ $100,000 gift to replace the roof of Allen Hall, home of the Odess Theater and no less than the heart of our campus. This remarkable night put us just $25,000 short of the total $300,000 cost of the roof. We are humbled by this show of support, which will allow us to continue stewarding this building for generations of campers to come.
Jazz on the Waterfront and our Raise the Roof campaign would have been impossible without Alaska Airlines, the Hames Corporation, Alaska Seaplanes, Allen Marine & Alaska Dream Cruises, ConocoPhillips, Ludvig’s Bistro, Old Harbor Books, Backdoor Cafe, SPC Sitka, Stereo North, Aspen Hotel & Suites, Russell’s Campfire Kitchen, Foreign Auto, Spenard Builders Supply, Fisheye Coffee, and Ace Hardware — just some of the wonderful businesses who contributed to the night with auction items and other sponsorships.
Special thanks go to our auction committee – Elizabeth Bagley, Jessica Cederberg, Lenise Henderson, Tiffany Pearson, Marya Pillifant and Amy Rhyneer – who spent months planning and curating an incredible array of items.
The evening’s success also belongs to the 14 volunteer servers, 27 musicians, and six front-of-house staff who gave their time and talent to make it all happen. Our camp staff also worked behind the scenes in the kitchen and backstage to keep everything running smoothly.
Thank you for making this night one of the biggest fundraising successes in SFAC’s history. Thank you. again, and we look forward to next year!
With gratitude,
Roger Schmidt, Executive Director
