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jel48

Please help vote for some deserving projects in the Michigan UP

15 years ago

Money is short here in the Michigan UP. Unemployment is (I believe) the highest in the nation. People are struggling to finance important projects and the Pepsi Refresh project offers a possible way of helping to do that. Please read about these projects, both very dear to my heart, and vote for them if you find it in your heart to do so. You can vote 3 times a day for each project (actually for up to 10 projects, so please don't rule these out even if you have others you are already voting for).

Let me tell you about them.

Build an ambulance garage in Copper Harbor, MI. This is very badly needed. Copper Harbor is a small town (about 85 year around residents) that caters to up to 600,000 tourists each year. It is a beautiful rural community. My step-daughter works in Copper Harbor - about 35 miles from where I live. She has seen medical emergencies (one a heart attack that she told me about) where there was no immediate access to help. They had to wait for nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive. Copper Harbor has recently been able to acquire an ambulance but have no place to house it. This project is to build an ambulance garage and proper facilities.

Put a new roof on the historic Calumet Theatre, in Calumet, MI. Another desparately needed project. This beautiful theatre was opened in 1900 and in those early days, the theatre's marquee read like a Who's Who of American Theatre: Madame Helena Modjeska, Lillian Russell, John Phillip Sousa, Sarah Bernhardt, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Lon Chaney, Sr., Jason Robards, Sr., James O'Neill, William S. Hart, Frank Morgan, Wallace and Noah Beery, and Madame Schumann-Heink, to name a few. With the decline of copper mining in the area, the theatre fell into disrepair during the mid 1900's. It was partially renovated in 1975 for the village's centennial, and the exterior was restored in 1988-1989. It is now an independent, non-profit cultural organization and the small Calumet Theatre Company assumes all operationg costs for the facility. There is no local tax support. It is funded by ticket sales, user fees, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural affairs, membership, and fund raising activities. It annually hosts 60-80 events with a total yearly attendance of nearly 20,000. Nearly all of the performing arts disciplines are represented, including symphony, folk music, jazz, opera, theatre, dance, and community events, as well as public meetings and guided tours. The Calumet Theatre is a National Historic Landmark.

But there is never enough money. The roof has fallen into disrepair and the domed ceilings (Painted with absolutely beautiful murals) and the gilded plaster is in great danger. It has to be replaced and that will be a long time coming without the Pepsi Refresh money.

Please help out by voting for these two projects. You can vote 3 times a day for each project. Once on the websites below, by signing in with your Pepsi Refresh ID. Once from Facebook. And once by texting from your cell phone.

http://www.refresheverything.com/copperharborambulancebarn

http://www.refresheverything.com/saveabeautiful110yroldtheatre

Send your text messages to 73774. To vote for the Theatre roof, text the number 104720. To vote for the Ambulance garage, text the number 102689.

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