Director vows to continue fundraisers

 

CHESAPEAKE — The weekend fundraiser for the Chesapeake Community Center didn’t turn out as organizers had wanted. But the drawback isn’t stopping center director Ruth Damron from trying again.

“We are going to do it again next month,” Damron said. “I know we can do it.”

A combination cruise-in car show and yard sale was on the agenda for Saturday with the goal of raising $8,000 needed to replace the furnace in the aging building.

Already the Lawrence County Commissioners have allocated $10,000 from Community Development Block Grants for the project. Now the center has to come up with the remaining funds. The yard sale brought in $400, but nothing from the cruise-in.

“The sale went pretty well, but no cars showed up,” Damron said. “I took the signs down by 11 o’ clock.”

Two more cruise-ins are planned for August and September and Damron is changing her publicity strategy to bring in those cars. She is having flyers printed up and will have them placed inside vehicles at other cars shows. That way the cruise-in enthusiasts will know about the Chesapeake events.

“I pretty much know how to advertise it now,” she said.

Damron had to come up with her new game plan in an overheated office at the center.

“The air conditioning went down,” she said. “We will have to buy an air conditioner. It is just one thing after another in this old building. But it is not going to stop us. That is a challenge to me. We will lick this thing.”

The next two cruise-ins are scheduled for Aug. 17 and Sept 14, both at 10 a.m.