Monday, October 7, 2013
UPDATE: We bought the lift on October 7th, but it is still hung up in customs (the company who makes these lifts is in Canada). We’re confident that we’ll have it up and running very soon, however. Big thanks to ALL our loyal and fabulous friends!
We are very excited to announce the success of our latest grant writing venture: our not-for-profit arm, Fisch Bowl Inc., was recently awarded a Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission matching funds grant, for the procurement of a mechanical lift, to raise our mobility-restricted guests to our front entrance dock level. This is a huge step for our organization, as we have been trying to solve our elevated-entry problem for many years, but the solution has been difficult to resolve both from an administrative (our street is too narrow to build a ramp), as well as a financial (typical electric wheelchair lifts require a significant infrastructural investment, before they can even be installed) perspective. We found a mobile, completely manual lift, that solves both of these problems at once, while still allowing the same freedom of mobility as a more complex model. It’s called the Mobilift CX, and is made by Adaptive Engineering Inc.
Click here to watch a short video demonstrating the lift’s performance.
This is a matching funds grant, which means that the KCAIC will pay for half the cost of the lift, if we manage to raise the other half. We’ve already received an extraordinarily generous gift, to kick-start our campaign, so the battle is more than half won.
If you’ve got a friend or family member who hasn’t been able to attend Fisch Haus events, or if you just feel like it’s the right thing to do, please click the ‘Donate’ icon to the right. Anything will help–we’ve been receiving donations from $10-$20, and if even 100 people continue to contribute at that level, we’ll have met our goal!
We are so fortunate to enjoy such a large circle of friends and supporters, and we’re thrilled to finally be able to welcome a new group that we’ve been very painfully aware of neglecting for a long, long time. If nothing else, please help us spread the word that a lift is coming–we don’t want anyone to ever feel excluded from the Fisch Haus again!
WE ARE INDEBTED TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS:
Sandi Baird
Daisy Barger
Emily Bonavia, The Bonavia Family Charitable Trust
Don Bonfiglio
Don Burrow
Cindy and Charlie Claycomb
James Chung
Kim and Buddy Curry
Paula and Barry Downing
Heather Eden
The Annie Foundation, Ann Garvey
Toni and Bud Gates
Aimee Geist
Robert Gump
Eric Ireland and David Mercer
Denise Irwin
John Jones and Michele Pugh
Don Malzahn
Sue Pearce
Leslie Servantez
Keith and Georgia Stevens
Jamie Tabor, The Non-Toxic Beauty Shop
Teresa Veazy
Ann Marie Wenzel
Jo Zakas, Clifton Square
And, last but certainly not least, this would not have happened without the selfless donation of time and energy by our rockstar grant writer, Connie Bonfy!!