SOVAC YEAR IN REVIEW 2023
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THE YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM was extremely popular for Cavendish, Ludlow, and Proctorsville students who receive the benefit of 50% reduced tuition from a Fletcher Farm Foundation subsidy. Additionally, young artists from any Okemo Valley Region Schools and homeschoolers can apply for scholarships, funded by our annual raffle, for a 50% discount. Together, youth can attend a workshop for as little as $5. We are happy to share that over the last three years, we have not turned away any youth applicants. Even with the flooding, most students were able to attend workshops as scheduled and the two programs that needed to move were still able to reschedule.
THE TWO FESTIVALS bookended the flood allowing artists the opportunity to share and sell their creations with locals and people visiting the area. The sellers left each event happy with the success of the day. And visitors were happy to browse, munch on some Goodman’s American Pie and refresh with The Lazy Cow Ice Cream as they listened to two bands play folk and rock in the background. Both days were beautiful and well-attended. Luckily, the timing was perfect, and the festivals allowed everyone some relief from the flood problems. In July, we hosted 29 artisan exhibitors and saw almost 800 visitors. August was a little smaller but was enjoyed by all.
THE GIFT AND CRAFT SHOP experienced strong sales on festival weekends. While weekday sales were pretty much nonexistent, weekend sales were much lower than in previous summer seasons.
CRAFT SUPPLY SALES A big thank you to all of our wonderful supporters who brought us craft supplies they no longer needed. These donations were sold on a handful of weekends and raised $4,000. A special thanks to the Kennedy family for organizing and staffing the sale days.
WORKSHOPS this season had abysmal attendance. 58% of workshops were canceled, either due to the inability to get into town due to flooding or because of the lack of students enrolling in courses. Our tuition revenue, usually $45,000-$50,000, was only $22,558. In the end, even some of the very popular courses were canceled, causing $7,690 in refunds, leaving us with $16,368. Unfortunately, the revenue we so desperately rely on to cover our operating expenses will not keep the doors open until next summer.
This has not been our only financial struggle. We have found wire fraud in our bank account that went unresolved for a while. A new bank account and instituting stronger cash management policies have ended the problems. And we are positive that we can retrieve the misappropriated funds of about $7,600.
A SHRINKING VOLUNTEER BOARD We have had some long-time board members step down in hopes that younger active members will join the board. Susan Damone Balch announced she is stepping down in her role as board chair as of January 15, 2024, and Debi Orton, acting secretary and Pollyanna Sidell, acting finance director will not be seeking re-election for these positions in May 2024.
Susan and Pollyanna are happy to remain active SOVAC members, but what is really needed is a team of volunteers who can help reimagine a new future for SOVAC.
THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVE committee was making headway, but because of the financial restructuring and leadership being stretched thin, the project has ceased, and we will look for an external consultant to help us with this initiative.