Online telethon promises evening of entertainment and auctions to benefit CACS

The coronavirus pandemic has forced a lot changes on individuals and organisations worldwide. Locally, non-profits have been scrambling to raise funds in new and different ways in an effort to make up for lost opportunities.
    Case in point: the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. In the wake of the cancelation of its main fundraiser this spring, it has shifted gears and is going online. Center board member Kelli Parker explains
    “This is a new deal. And I hope it continues after the telethon. After we realized that there was no way we were going to be able to have our Spring Fling that we do annually, we started brainstorming well, ‘what else can we do in light of everything that's going on in the world with this COVID?’ We had come up with the idea of doing something on online, which grew into a telethon.”
    Then, Parker said, they thought of asking Pier One Theater to get into the mix.
    “And so then the creativity started, with all the ideas of a retro telethon. And then we thought we need to include Pier One Theater because they're kind of in the same place as us,” she said.
    Pier One Theater’s Jennifer Norton said the partnership with CACS was a welcome opportunity.
    “And so we have kind of been looking for ways that we could still contribute to the community without doing our regular programming,” Norton said. “This has really provided an opportunity for us to get involved and to support another nonprofit and to be a part of the community when we can't do what we usually do.”
    CACS Director Beth Trowbridge said the telethon has attracted a lot of sponsor support.
    “But we have had a lot of support from local businesses as sponsors of the event as well,” she said. “It just kind of speaks to how much of a community event this really is, and just kind of bringing people together and just do something fun and interesting in the middle of the summer.”
    “Buy Now” items are already available for bidding on the Center’s web page. The telethon and live auction will be during the afternoon and the evening of July 26 from 3 to 7 p.m. Jonah Parker and Asa Panarelli will be the MCs for the event.