Donation to support various initiatives including capital campaign for the Center
Wayne and Nan Kocourek, of Chicago, Illinois recently provided a generous gift of $250,000 to the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. Mrs. Kocourek, formally of Fairfield, and her husband, made the contribution in memory of her parents, Robert and Evelyn Gamrath, in honor of their many years of service and dedication to Fairfield and to ensure the future of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.
Robert and Evelyn were graduates of Parsons College in the 1940s, where Evelyn was homecoming queen. Mr. Gamrath was named to the Parsons College Wall of Honor, located at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. He attained the rank of General in the Iowa National Guard and co-founded what is today, Gamrath-Doyle Insurance in Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant. Mrs. Gamrath was a long-time Fairfield Community School District junior high choral director, instructor at Parsons College and choir director at 1st Presbyterian Church in Fairfield. Evelyn’s passion to teach children and instill them with an affinity for the arts is one of the highlights of her life. Bob and Evelyn raised four children in Fairfield, Bob Gamrath, Jr., Kathryn Gamrath Carpenter and Tom Gamrath.
The Kocourek gift will have significant impact on the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center including capital improvements and endowment support, both critical to the Center’s success, according to Rustin Lippincott, director of the Center. The gift will also be used to support special programs that help fulfill the Center’s mission to enrich, educate, and entertain Fairfield, Jefferson County, and Southeast Iowa residents. One program benefiting from the Kocourek contribution is the annual Summer Camp at the Sondheim, a week long theatre camp where 9 through 14 year old students learn, perform, and produce a full-length theatre play or musical.
“We are grateful for Wayne and Nan’s generous gift and are honored to recognize the impact that Robert and Evelyn had on the people of Fairfield,” said Lippincott. “We are excited to announce the Summer Camp at the Sondheim will now be known as the Evelyn Gamrath Summer Camp at the Sondheim. Mrs. Gamrath enjoyed attending performances at the theater and believed in the positive impact of the arts on children, it’s fitting to name our theater camp in honor of her legacy.”
The Center, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary on September 16, has demonstrated its positive impact on the quality of life, the impact on the economy and its ability to attract visitors to the community through programming and events. This was just part of what inspired the Kocourek’s to make this generous donation. The Kocoureks hope their gift will inspire others to join them in providing the financial support to the Center so the programs and events, which so many have enjoyed can continue to be part of the Fairfield landscape.
“We have learned a lot over the first 10 years. Effective leadership, dedicated staff and volunteers, an increasing number of event and performance attendees and committed, generous supporters like Wayne and Nan, have provided us with a strong foundation to continue to build on” said Mark Cohen, Center’s Chairman of the Board.
According to Cohen, the Kocourek contribution is the catalyst of an upcoming capital campaign that will deepen the foundation of the Center and continue the legacy of community service achieved over the first 10 years.
“Over the next few months we will put the finishing touches on a campaign that will secure the continued operation of the Center and in turn decrease the continual need for fundraising,” said Cohen. “We are so grateful for the Kocourek donation. I believe it demonstrates the value the Center has to the community and will be a catalyst for amount of support for the campaign to celebrate the Center’s first 10 years, highlight the benefits of this beautiful facility and raise the necessary funds to ensure the Center will continue to positively support Fairfield and Greater Jefferson County in the future.”
For more information about the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center visit www.FairfieldACC.com or contact Lippincott, 641-472-2000 or Cohen, 319-217-8087.
Rustin Lippincott, the executive director of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center and Sondheim Theater can be contacted at 641-472-2000, rustin@fairfeldacc.com
Mark Cohen, Chairman of the Board of Directors can be reached at 319-217-8087, markcohen@gmail.com
About the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center
Opened in 2007, the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center is a gathering place designed to showcase a world of art, culture and community pride in the heart of downtown. The beautiful facility, featuring the Sondheim Theater, promises a rich and diverse 2016-17 Artist Series: Living It Live at the Sondheim. Now in its seventh year, the Artist Series is about the It’s about national touring Broadway shows; Grammy award-winning music icons; witnessing captivating trapeze artists and spins of acrobats leaving us all in awe; and music that provides the soundtrack of life. The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center is excited to continue the tradition of welcoming national touring performances to the Sondheim stage that amaze, entertain and inspire. The complex is a place where friends meet in great fellowship and joyous occasions. The Center features an exposition hall, flexible meeting space, an elegant conference room and art galleries which all provide a sophisticated backdrop for meetings, weddings and special events.
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