Dear Volunteers,
We are so appreciative of all the generous offers of support from our volunteers to help our theatre get through a very unpredictable 2020!
Over the past 33 years the Lincoln's volunteers have selflessly donated their talents and thousands of hours each year to the theatre. Your dedication, knowledge and enthusiasm greatly enhance the experience of our patrons. More than 260 strong, with a wide variety of backgrounds, you are a part of one of the largest support groups in the Skagit County.
In 2019, our volunteers contributed over 5,700 hours of service supporting the arts. From welcoming guests with a smile at the door and helping them find their seat, to preparing and serving our famous popcorn, to working backstage during an event, or working of Box Office during the day, our volunteers make a huge difference to our staff and are an integral part of our arts community. That all came to a halt on March 9, 2020 with our closure due to the COVID pandemic.
As we reach the end of 2020, the time we normally recognize volunteers for their service with a big party, we had to find another way to show our appreciation.
So, on behalf of the Lincoln Staff and Board of Directors please accept our gratitude with the COVID safe and simple thank-you card attached to this email. The card is filled with photos and notes of appreciation. We hope you enjoy reading the card as much as we did making it.
There is one tradition we are continuing as usual this year: Presenting the Volunteer and Special Project of the Year awards.
For Volunteer of the Year: Stephen Farmer. Stephen has been one of our most valuable and enthusiastic volunteers for quite a while now. Whether volunteering in the Art Bar, Concessions, Ushering, or filling in most any position at the last minute, he is always friendly, dedicated and selfless. Stephen jumped right back in by volunteering for almost every shift when we briefly reopened for films this past October. He told us at the time that he really missed his Lincoln family. We missed him too!
For Special Project of the Year: Colby Plagge and Brett Venner. Colby and Brett have been working tech for TAG and META productions for a number of years, a relationship established through their work with Dimensional Communications, a huge supporter of the Arts in Skagit County - and supplier of our new sound system. Their years of experience in audio/video production have made them a much sought-after team. We have been extremely lucky to have them assisting with the tech requirements for our Lincoln Live Streaming, as consultants and video crew, for each of our live broadcasts. Without them it would not look and sound so great!
We are continuing our tradition of recognizing those awarded each year with their names on our Volunteer of the Year plaques in our lobby (now with over a 25-year history), a certificate of recognition, and a small gift of appreciation – this year, one of our in-demand elSage designed sweatshirts!
To all of our other dedicated volunteers, we’d like to offer you to stop by our Popcorn Pop Up to say hi and pick up a free popcorn and video rental on us! It will be good to see your faces (masked, of course) again.
Again, on behalf of the Lincoln Theatre Center Foundation, we are so grateful for your support of our community theatre during this unprecedented challenge. We are stronger together! We sincerely appreciate our volunteers for the heart they bring to the Lincoln. Once our venue is open again, we count on our wonderful volunteers to be here to welcome the community back.
Thank you!
Roger Gietzen
Lincoln Theatre Executive Director
If you need to update your availability to volunteer or your contact information, please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Brandy Young, brandy@lincolntheatre.org.
“Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” - Elizabeth Andrew