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  • The Franke Center Kicks Off Annual Fundraising Campaign

    Press Release

    MARSHALL – The Franke Center for the Arts has officially kicked off their annual fundraising campaign. For over twenty years, The Franke has been an important part of the cultural fabric of the Marshall community. In the last year alone, they produced 15 world-class concerts in a variety of musical genres as well as cultural events like the Wolf Tree Film Festival. Their arts education programming includes the Expert Artist Program, which places teaching poets in Marshall and Battle Creek public schools and offers diverse and inspiring curriculum for middle school students. Their award-winning Youth Theater program is one of the best in the region, providing performance opportunities for students Kindergarten through 12th grades. In the past year, they produced three plays, including Legally Blonde the Musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Finding Nemo Jr., as well as a summertime “Theater Discovery Camp,” enabling over 200 kids to build confidence and have fun on the stage and behind the scenes.

    In addition, The Franke Center maintains and preserves their historic 1920’s-era facility, a beautiful church-turned-theater that is an architectural and cultural mainstay of Marshall’s downtown. 

    “We’re incredibly proud of the work we do at The Franke Center,” said Jacob Gates, the organization’s executive director. “To me, being a small town that has a tremendous arts and culture scene is one of the greatest things about Marshall. And we’re a great benefit to the culture of the rest of Calhoun County, too. But these are incredibly uncertain times for non-profits, so I would urge everyone who values the arts to make a tax-deductible contribution to help us continue our important work into the future.”

    The Franke Center for the Arts is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. More information, or make a donation online, visit TheFranke.org/donate or mail a check to: The Franke Center for the Arts, 214 East Mansion St., Marshall, MI, 49068. 

    The Franke Center Kicks Off Annual Fundraising Campaign