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Monday, May 19, 2008
AT&T gives $50,000 toward theater’s renovation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If one questions the value of leadership programs, just ask the Friends of the Strand in Marietta Square.
The group has until June 1 to raise a total of $500,000 to match a $500,000 challenge grant to name the theater after longtime Cobb leader Earl Smith.
AT&T is making a $50,000 donation towards that challenge grant, which means that the Friends of the Strand still need to raise $125,000 by the end of the month.
So how did the AT&T gift come about? Debbie Abernathy, Earl Smith’s grand-daughter, is in this year’s Leadership Cobb’s class with Don Barbour, regional manager of External Affairs of AT&T Georgia.
The Strand, a theater that dates back to 1935, started as a movie house and stayed open until 1976. Cobb leaders have been working to renovate the Strand for the past several years so it can hold live performances as well as show classic and independent films.
Christy Rosell, spokeswoman for the Friends of the Strand, said that the total renovation will total $4.5 million. If it is able to raise the $125,000 by June 1 for the naming rights, it still will need another $1.2 million to complete the renovation.
The Strand is supposed to open by the end of the year as long as the remaining money is raised.
