Several Ways to Support the Clemens Center

In making the performing arts a cornerstone of our regional community, support from the community is vitally important to the ongoing success of the Clemens Center. Ticket and rental income only covers about 50% of our annual operating cost. Voluntary annual operating support from our Individual Members, Benefactors and Business Members are crucial to maintaining our financial stability. Gifts to our Bequest/Endowment Program are long-term, long-lasting contributions to the future of the arts in our region. Without the generosity of contributors to all of these programs and our Volunteers, we would not survive, much less flourish.

The performing arts nourish the heart and feed the soul, so it only makes sense that cooking up a successful season each year requires following a particular recipe. You start with a lot of planning, add in a heaping scoop of hard work, and then mix in a high quality lineup of shows for zest and spice. But the special ingredient that must be added to create a season to really savor is… you!

While we’ve come so far in the last year, we’re still recovering. If you’re in a position to do so, we hope you’ll consider making a Special Year-End Gift to the Clemens Center in support of our mission to bring enriching performing arts programming to our region.

Your contribution helps to:

• Bring the next great Broadway show to our stage
• Bridge the funding gap and grow the Clemens Center’s program offerings
• Ignite the imagination and enrich the lives of over 14,000 local school-aged children by introducing them to the magic of live theater
• Keep our facilities in good working order
• Provide a home and performance space for five area non-profit Resident Companies
• Make our Downtown district vibrant and positively impact the local economy

As our gift to you in gratitude for your continued support and patronage, please download and enjoy this free collection of our Clemens Center team’s favorite holiday recipes as you gather with loved ones this season!

Becoming a member of the Clemens Center instantly connects you to a community of people who believe in the value of the performing arts in our region. As a culture, as a society, as community, we join together to express our support for the work the Center does to bring us live theatre arts entertainment and performance opportunities. Join the Clemens Center today with an individual or business membership and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you are doing your part to ensure the longevity of the region’s premier performing arts center.

With various giving levels available, enjoy the range of benefits of being a Member including Exclusive Ticket Insurance, Advance Purchase Opportunities, Broadway Series Subscription Discount and consider membership program enhancements at the Benefactor’s Circle levels. Your relationship, whatever it may be, is important to us.

If you have questions about any of the membership opportunities at the Clemens Center, please feel free to contact the Director of Development at 607-733-5639 x776, or development@clemenscenter.org.

Financial stability is one of the greatest challenges confronting arts organizations. Bequests, Endowments and Charitable Gift Planning help to provide a consistent, reliable source of annual income to assist the Clemens Center in ensuring that the tradition of excellence in the performing arts continues for future generations in our region. Your tax-deductible contribution will have an impact on the Clemens Center this year, next year and into the future!

Bequests to charitable organizations often result in significant tax benefits and can be an important part of a sound estate plan. As you plan your will or trust, simply including the Clemens Center can have a great impact on our future, and entitles you to exclusive membership in the Clemens Society (PDF) – a special group of friends who have made a commitment to the Clemens Center and to the cultural life of this region for years to come.

Consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Clemens Center’s two Restricted Funds: Josephine Walsh Zurenda Endowment Fund or the Samuel Clemens Sustainers Fund. Whether given as Special Giving through a memorial, honor or simply a desire to secure the future of the performing arts in our region, these monies are invested and the earnings provide the Clemens Center with a reliable source of annual operating income.

There are other methods of Charitable Gift Planning, such as a gift Annuity. Donors who choose this method of support for the Clemens Center contribute appreciated properties, including stocks and bonds, in exchange for dividend or interest payments, or a guaranteed or fixed annuity payment for a defined term, usually the life of the donor. See your financial advisor or insurance agent for more details. Also, your Life Insurance Policy can list the Clemens Center as its beneficiary. Plus, should you choose to name the Clemens Center as both the beneficiary and the owner, the gifts to the Clemens Center to cover premium costs are tax-deductible. See your insurance agent for more information.

Watch for and Sign up for our Planned Giving events! If you have questions about planned giving opportunities at the Clemens Center, please contact the Director of Development at 607-733-5639 x776, or development@clemenscenter.org.

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the Clemens Center. After you have chosen the Clemens Center as your charity (you will only need to do this once) be sure to bookmark AmazonSmile for your future Amazon purchases.  

CAMPAIGN UPDATE

We’re so excited to announce that we’ve met our $30,000 goal for the 45th Birthday Campaign!

The Clemens Center crew would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our supporters for making contributions throughout October. We’d also like to thank the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes for the $15,000 grant award in support of this campaign.

Our venue’s history is quite literally soaked with flooding, both in 1946 and in 1972 with the infamous Hurricane Agnes, and that legacy continued over the past year with frequent flooding in our Powers Theater orchestra pit during heavy rains. We put out the call for assistance and were humbled by the swift response. We’re so grateful to have all of you rallying beside us to maintain this historic theatre and keep the music playing here for years to come.

Each gift made helped grant our birthday wish, and we can now move forward with the purchase and installation of a sump pump and additional water barriers to prevent further flooding and damage to the orchestra pit area, lift mechanics, and vital theatre organ equipment.

We’ll post updates on the project here, so remember to check back periodically to see the progress!