I started volunteering for the Chicago Fringe Festival while still living in Milwaukee. I clocked thousands of miles driving back and forth multiple times a month for six years before I finally moved to Chicago. I never considered quitting because of both the people involved and the mission. It truly is about building community, making the arts accessible and supporting artistic risk-taking. It has never taken the easy route - staying committed to being unjuried, returning 100% of the ticket sales back to the artists, supporting a diversity of voices and producing the festival in an artistically underserved neighborhood. To this day the staff remains 100% volunteers. Rather than money and glory, they get to grow professionally, meet amazing people and support new, weird, adventurous, challenging art and activate a community located far from the arts hubs of the city. $5,000 would be a game changer for this amazing group.
Review from #MyGivingStory