• By Todd Luck
• Posted Monday, June 19, 2023

Forsyth County employees raise more than $19,000 for Arts Council

Forsyth County employees raised $19,011 for the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County during a workplace campaign in May.

This year’s campaign, which was themed “23 And We: Art in our DNA,” exceeded both the county’s $16,000 goal and what it raised in previous campaigns before the pandemic. County employees contributed through pledging money, which often involved them setting an amount per paycheck to go to the non-profit. Departments also held a variety of fundraisers including bake sales, raffles, putt-putt, bowling, an art auction and selling food items like popcorn and snacks.

The lunchtime finale for the campaign was held on May 31 in downtown Bailey Park with a vendor market, food trucks and talent show featuring performances by both city and county employees and their families. Mellisa Cliver took third place for singing “Black Velvet,” Sanai Henderson got second place for singing “Stand Up,” and Tamra Bradshaw-Sheller won first place for singing “I Will Always Love You.” Arts Council CEO Chase Law was the MC of the talent show.

Campaign organizers said they were grateful to county employees for their participation, as well as the many sponsors who donated prizes for the campaign.

“The Arts Council Campaign has always been my most favorite time of the year with the county,” said Gaskins. “It's the one time in the year county employees are able to fully immerse themselves in everything artistic and fully enjoy all of the wonderful things both our local artists and internal artists bring to our vibrant community. This year, was a special one because we really focused on highlighting our talented internal artists. We also had a truly outstanding campaign team this year!”

The Arts Council is the biggest driver of cultural investment in Forsyth County. The Arts Council provides operational support to a broad range of partner arts organizations that provide 800,000 experiences a year, including music, visual art, theater, festivals, film and independent bookstores. Forsyth County is one of many workplace campaigns that help fund the Arts Council.

“We are grateful for Forsyth County Government’s continued support of the arts through their annual workplace campaign, annual allocation, and special, one-time funding through the American Rescue Plan Act,” said Law. “Forsyth County Government plays an important role in developing a vibrant community that fosters creativity and connection. We celebrate and express our deepest gratitude for their support of our arts and cultural community.”

The Arts Council is one of only two organizations the county participates in fundraising campaigns for, the other being the United Way of Forsyth County.