Owning My GoFundMe Rebirthing 53206 Campaign

 
Generally, most of the activities I engage with, I really want to be involved in. Sometimes it's for convenience, other times it’s for curiosity, networking, attracting financial stability and comfort, i.e. completing my taxes or washing dishes. After a year of contemplating crowd sourcing as a means of replacing my leaky home gallery roof and dilapidated porches, I made peace with launching my GoFundMe Rebrithing 53206 campaign, in 2017. A win-win for all, my plan works as I continue to reach out and touch more supporters.

My Rebirthing 53206 artwork rewards and gallery tours in tandem with supportive contributors continues toward reaching the goal. Contributors benefit by receiving artwork to exhibit or they are encouraged to donate art rewards as tax-deductible artworks to non-profit organizations and receive a tax deduction. Non-profit organizations stand to benefit through auctions or space enrichment. Terry McCormick Contemporary Fine and Folk Art Gallery benefits with a replaced roof and goes forward to enrich ZIP code 53206.

Crowd funding was something I really wanted to do. I hesitantly mentioned my plans for a GoFundMe campaign publicly to a friend, also one of my art patrons, in Value Village a year before getting the campaign off of the ground. This thrift shop among my favorite places, allows me to find comfortably priced well-made linen, cotton or wool garments. I shared with her that my roof, with at least five leaks, needed replacing. She promptly opened her purse, giving me a $50 bill. Gratefully surprised for this "thumbs up" affirmation, I plan to keep it as I reach my goal!

I proceeded to meditate to attract much needed faith for accomplishing my desired outcomes - a new roof and new porches  - using my artwork and gallery tours. Yet, it took another year to launch the campaign as I wrote, edited and rewrote the GoFundMe Rebirthing 53206 story. Desiring to reach the world, I sought the assistance of a media savvy friend, Laurel Turner

Eventually, my daughter and granddaughter compiled selected artwork images on my website, to match Laurel's proposed reward levels. One special artwork, a "Sankofa" wrought iron welded sculpture by gallery namesake, George Ray McCormick, Sr., I visualize as being purchased, then donated to a non-profit for a tax write off to the donor a and most significantly, it covers replacement roof costs.

To date, nearly 50 contributions are noted on the site. Shear Winston’s timely repairs upgraded my porches, to welcome visitors to the Lindsay Heights neighborhood's TM gallery for the annual 2017 Open Doors Milwaukee event. Fonde Bridges, my son, and Hanna Fowler, a UW – Milwaukee student gallery intern, painted the porches.

The mission of the Terry McCormick Contemporary Fine and Folk Art Gallery is to educate our youth and others, inspire creativity and build community through tours, lectures, workshops, exhibitions and all resources empowering intergenerational artists and encouraging patronage.

Caption: Evelyn Patricia Terry, founder of Terry McCormick Contemporary Fine and Folk Art Gallery, addresses a tour group. Jay Salinas, Co - founder of Wormfarm Institute and Director of Special Projects, stands to Evelyn's right. Jay organized the tour of about 20 people visiting from rural Wisconsin this past summer, to facilitate cultural exchange opportunities.