The Empire Area Community Center maintains a special emergency fund to financially assist local residents during hard times. Donations for the emergency fund are collected at free monthly concerts that are open to the public. Concerts are typically held on the last Sunday of the month from 4 to 6 p.m. Generous area performers donate their time and talent at various venues that donate space for these fundraising events.
The emergency fund helps pay a known expense for people in need, such as a medical, housing or utility bill, and recipients remain anonymous, to preserve dignity. Recipients cannot apply for assistance themselves — they must be recommended by a “nominator” who submits a nomination form on behalf of the nominee, along with copies of recommended bills to be paid.
Nominating process
The nomination form for emergency fund recipients is available for downloading below. It can be completed by any nominator and then submitted to the Empire Area Community Center. A special emergency fund committee discretely reviews nominations to determine if and how funds will be disbursed.
Nominators need to be prepared to experience some awkwardness when approaching people that may be struggling. Nominees often have to share some details about their financial hardship and provide copies of outstanding bills that need to be submitted with a nomination form. The emergency fund is designed to assist people who are usually solvent but for some unforeseen circumstances are experiencing difficulties in paying their bills. These people would likely never ask for help and need someone else to recognize their need.
Emergency fund history
| Year | Donations | # | Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $3,985.32 | 4 | $1,000.00 |
| 2013 | $18,554.50 | 15 | $7,014.35 |
| 2014 | $18,424.33 | 17 | $9,303.74 |
| 2015 | $15,969.28 | 37 | $23,123.44 |
| 2016 | $16,799.29 | 7 | $11,862.09 |
| 2017 | $20,361.65 | 31 | $25,915.04 |
| 2018 | $17,315.55 | 11 | $10,120.23 |
| 2019 | $17,334.04 | 17 | $16,477.71 |
| 2020 | $22,462.92 | 31 | $21,665.47 |
| 2021 | $35,615.00 | 22 | $28,500.18 |
| 2022 | $40,747.03 | 25 | $33,474.56 |
| 2023 | $33,758.68 | 18 | $22,396.04 |
| 2024 | $32,659.49 | 20 | $39,156.80 |
| 2025 | $75,411.46 | 30 | $55,719.81 |
| Grand Total | $374,284.96 | 297 | $328,196.94 |
On May 10, 2012 Gerry Shiffman introduced Chris Skellenger to the Empire Area Community Center. Skellenger, a local horticulturist, musician, and humanitarian, founded Buckets of Rain in 2006, an organization that delivered agriculture aid to communities in Africa and South America. Skellenger and Buckets of Rain developed the concept of a local emergency fund program, funded by local concerts, and the Empire Area Community Center agreed to administer the program for the Empire area. The emergency fund program became an immediate success under the leadership of Gerry Shiffman, who served as chairperson on the first emergency fund committee with members Karen Baja and Jim Sills.
Since 2012, many generous performers, venue owners, concert producers, and community volunteers have donated countless hours to the success of the emergency fund program and local assistance efforts.
