Halfway There: Help Us Match the County's $30,000

The roof over the Red Rock Center for the Arts has reached the end of its service life, and water is getting in. The Martin County Commissioners have committed $30,000 to repair it. We ask you to match it dollar for dollar through Give to the Max Day.

The full project is approximately $77,000. The county's $30,000 and your matched $30,000 cover $60,000 of that. We will cover the remainder ourselves, with donations that come in beyond the match and from our own reserves. Every dollar you give is one we don't have to find elsewhere.

WHY THIS BUILDING MATTERS

The Red Rock Center is not a museum piece. It is a working building, used almost every day of the year.

Concerts fill the hall through a ten-show season, from touring acts to the Trimont Centennial Band. Art classes meet in the lower level, teaching kids and adults who have never picked up a brush. The gallery rotates exhibitions by regional artists. Lunch with the Arts brings people together once a month for a free meal and a performance. Families and local businesses rent the space for recitals, celebrations, and gatherings. Volunteers staff the bar, hand out programs, and set up chairs.

It all sits under one roof. When that roof fails, water doesn't stop at the ceiling. It reaches the plaster, woodwork, gallery walls, and classrooms below. A repair delayed becomes a restoration, and a restoration is the kind of project that closes a building for a season.

WHAT YOUR GIFT DOES

The county's commitment is a statement of confidence: Martin County believes this building is worth keeping. Your gift shows that confidence was well placed. The match is real money, released as we raise our half.

Give $50 and $100 goes to the roof. Give $250 and $500 goes to the roof. No gift is too small to be doubled.

The work is straightforward. Remove and replace the failing roof assembly, address the water intrusion, and protect the interior that has survived for generations. This is not a renovation or an expansion. It stops the damage and keeps the doors open.

WHY GIVE NOW

The Max Day is November 19, and the match is tied to it. Minnesota gives more generously on this day than any other, and every dollar that comes in is a dollar we can put directly against the roof because of the county's commitment.

If you have ever sat in that hall and heard a room go quiet when the music started, you already know what is at stake.

A WORD ABOUT THE BUILDING

The Red Rock Center has stood at 222 East Blue Earth Avenue for generations. This building was not saved by accident. People in this community saved it more than once because they decided it was worth the trouble. This roof is the next of those decisions, and it's much smaller than the ones that came before.

OTHER WAYS TO GIVE

Not every gift needs to happen online.

You can mail checks to the Red Rock Center for the Arts, 222 E. Blue Earth Ave., Fairmont, MN 56031. Please write "Roof Fund" in the memo line so your gift is counted toward the match.

If you are 70 and a half or older, a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA is an efficient way to give. An RMD distribution made directly to a qualified charity counts toward your required minimum distribution and is not included in your taxable income. Please talk with your financial advisor or IRA custodian about making the distribution payable to the Martin County Preservation Association, and let us know it is coming so we can credit it to the roof fund and confirm your gift in writing.

We welcome gifts of stock, pledges paid over time, and gifts in honor or memory of someone who loved this building. Contact us, and we will work out the details and note your gift in our campaign report.

A NOTE ON THE MATCH

The match is not a marketing device. It is a real commitment from the county, and it lets a $100 gift become $200 toward a roofing contract. When the campaign closes, we will report where it stands and tell you plainly how we spent the money.

WHO WE ARE

The Martin County Preservation Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 41-1728361, and manages two historic landmarks: the Red Rock Center for the Arts and the Chubb House, Fairmont's oldest brick house, built in 1867. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and you will receive a written acknowledgment for your records.

We are a small organization with a modest budget and a building that people love. We cannot do this alone, and we are not asking you to. Half the match is already committed. Help us meet it.

Give to the Max Day is November 19. Give, and your gift is doubled.

If you have questions about the project, the match, or how to make a gift, call the office at 507-235-9262 or email director@redrockcenter.org. We are glad to talk it through.

Thank you for keeping the roof over our heads.