The target last year was to raise $225,000 for the arts center, but after falling short, due largely to the poor economy, campaign officials decided to decrease its goal by 11 percent.
Common Threads Campaign chairman David Belew said the arts are needed now more than ever, especially with so many area residents unemployed.
“People need the support of the arts. The arts and music give people the support they need in times like this,” Belew said.
Shawn Niehaus, board president of the Fitton Center, said the instructors who offer classes for pre-school children have helped his son, who has hearing and speech disabilities.
Niehaus said the music instruction his son receives in Head Start has helped him learn fine motor skills, singing and the alphabet.
“What brings my son out of his shell is the arts,” Niehaus told the crowd.
Belew said the arts program helped his late mother learn a new hobby.
He said his mother developed a love of watercolor painting, a craft that she continued until months before she died.
“She was so grateful that the arts center gave her a new hobby and great joy late in life,” Belew said.
For more information about the Fitton Center or the Common Threads campaign, call (513) 863-8873.
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