AN OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY
Hello. My name is Wayne Coughlin and I am currently the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Rochester Association for Film Arts and Sciences, Inc.
RAFAS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. The board consists of Mike Boas, Derrick Petrush, Chris Pruszynski, Shawn Essler, and myself. We also do double duty as the working staff of RAFAS. And we are unpaid volunteers.
We try to offer free programs to the community at large regardless of age or prior knowledge (i.e. the Rochester Writers Workshop – a bi-weekly event in it’s 13th year; and the Networking Workshop). We run contests in screenwriting and film making, and award the Tom Hope Memorial Media Scholarship to seven area college students each year.
But like everything else, it takes money to run these things.
We have been hit particularly hard since COVID. The money we have used in the past to cover expenses came from the exhibition portion of our two contests. Since we can’t fill an auditorium or movie theater, we have lost that opportunity.
We hope that if you have participated in one of our offerings, attended one of our exhibitions, or can see the value of our continued existence to the arts community, you would donate to our endeavor.
No amount is too small.
So please go to www.rafasny.org/donate and show your support. And your donation could be tax deductible.
Wayne Coughlin,
Chairman, Rochester Association for Film Arts and Sciences, Inc.