5.3. SR 10-02-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ELK RIVER ARE A ARTS ALLIANCE ----~~ The Handke Center. 1170 Main Street. Elk River, MN . 55330 . Ph: 763.441.4725 . Fax: 763. 241.3521 www.elkriverart.org.elkriverart@sherbtel.net August 2, 2006 Elk River City Council Lori Johnson, City Administrator City of Elk River 13065 Orono Road Elk River, Minnesota 55330 Dear Mayor Klinzing, members of the Elk River City Council, and Ms. Johnson: Thank you for your continued financial support for the work of the Elk River Area Arts Alliance. This contribution is vital to the success of our organization and truly represents a strong commitment by the City of Elk River to assist us in strengthening and growing our arts programs and events for the twenty-first century. Our organization, like our geographic area, has continued to grow in programs, attendance and budget over the past 10 years. In 1995, the City of Elk River granted the Elk River Area Arts Council $5,000 toward a budget of $17,000 when our organization was still managed by volunteers. Today, we have grown to an organizational budget of $160,000 with three part-time staff members, an organizational membership over 300, and expanded programming that reaches people of all ages in Elk River and outlying communities. In January of 2006, our board members and staff participated in a Strategic Planning session where we discussed and defined our vision and goals for the next five years. Our vision is to be the key resource in the community for the arts and we believe that our public value to the community lies in the fact that we: 1. Provide a sense of community, place and identity for Elk River. 2. Present opportunities to experience the emotions generated by the arts. 3. Offer culture close to home. 4. Offer life enrichment. 5. Bring families together. 6. Aid the economy, bringing dollars here and keeping them here. 7. Assist in the development of creativity for all stages of life. 8. Create a community that attracts educated new residents.