Efforts are moving forward at Cape Fear Community College to raise money for enhancements to its new Humanities and Fine Arts Center, according to Bob Jones, associate director for institutional advancement. To secure more than $1 million in up-front cash needed to acquire these enhancements, Jones and Shane Fernando, director of the Humanities and Fine Arts Center (HFAC) are working collaborately to raise $3 million to $4 million in pledges payable over three to four years. 

As part of this effort, the college recently launched a Founders’ Society, soliciting gifts of $10,000 or more that are payable over two years. This opportunity has been very well received and will accelerate the timeframe for securing the needed cash, Jones said Monday.

“We are making significant progress toward the ultimate goal,” Jones said, explaining that, while money designated for the project from the $164 million bond issue passed in 2008 is sufficient to build and furnish the classroom and theater building, the college’s Set the Stage campaign will result in a facility that can prove a regional draw. The facility is scheduled to open in October.

The $1 million-plus will provide an orchestra shell and an orchestra pit lift, in addition to more rigging and sound and projection equipment than was included in the facility’s original specifications.

“We want to go from good to great, so we can bring in full-scale Broadway shows and other performances that can’t currently be offered east of I-95,” Jones said. He explained that the bond money is paying for what it was supposed to, but the campaign will take the facility over and above that level, so it can offer programs “never before seen in the state.”

One enhancement example is the orchestra pit lift. Bond money paid for the orchestra pit, but the lift will expand its functionality, Jones said. At its lowest level it seats instrumentalists. At floor level, it allows space for VIP seating for about 100 people; raised to stage level, it will project into the audience and add additional space for a more intimate performance, according to Jones.

Some have compared the new theater to the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), but Jones said that in some respects, CFCC’s facility, though smaller overall, will be even better. For one thing, the orchestra pit will be the largest in the state. And recently, when some representatives from DPAC visited the emerging facility, Jones said they were envious because they believed the HFAC theater’s sound quality will surpass DPAC’s.

While the Set the Stage campaign name suggests a theater focus, gifts will support the entire facility, which will be home to all CFCC’s humanities and fine arts instruction and will contain studios for hands-on theater production training. That training, in turn, sets the stage for real-life work experience, Jones said.

“The facility allows students who are taking classes to walk into a laboratory that turns what they are learning into a real experience,” he said. “There will be opportunities for Shane [Fernando, the HFAC director] to use students for performances. A typical Broadway show brings a crew of 20-40 people, but it could need up to 40 more people from the facility itself. We’ll be able to rely on students and others in the community.”

A variety of naming opportunities is still available and will allow CFCC to continue to raise money even after the goal is reached, according to Jones. Another campaign feature is “Have a Seat,” which allows donors to dedicate a theater seat for a gift of between $300 and $1,000.

Once the $1 million-plus goal has been reached, campaign receipts will be used for such needs as scholarships and programs, he said.

Fundraising through Set the Stage campaign has not hindered CFCC’s annual fundraising efforts; rather, the campaign seems to be expanding the donor base, Jones said.  

“We have had people come to me that have said they read about [the campaign] in the newspaper, who have never been involved with us before. We’ve had calls from people in Raleigh who have some tie to Wilmington. If they have an affinity toward the college and our students, we can create a long-term relationship with them: we see them as donors but also as people who could potentially see what we have as a college and want to do more.

“Then we have our regular donors who want to do something in addition to annual scholarship gifts,” he continued. “I am floored at the community support.”