Will you match Laurynn’s $118 donation ?
By Kathryn Ross, BMTPS Secretary
WELLSVILLE – Like dribbling a ball toward the goal a young soccer player has kicked the fundraising efforts of the Babcock Movie Theater Preservation Society into high gear.
Earlier this month 11-year-old Laurynn Flamini donated $118 to the group which is working to renovate and reopen the 100-plus year old theater located on the village’s Main Street. Along with being an avid soccer player, the girl is a talented crafter, a hobby that is encouraged by her grandmother Jessica Fahs who owns Small Town Crafts By Jess. Fah’s, who is also an employee of the local Tops Friendly Market, solicited her employer’s sponsorship to create and decorate the BMTPS float for the recent Great Wellsville Balloon Rally Parade. Laurynn helped and was even part of the float. The following weekend, at the Main Street Festival the youngster helped in her grandmother’s booth selling woven cord bracelets that she had fashioned over several weeks to earn some cash. She is headed for middle school this fall. But, Laurynn, the daughter of Danielle Marsh and Tyler Flamini, chose not to spend her hard-earned cash to buy a new backpack or cleats. Instead, she donated it to the BMTPS because, she said, “I want to see movies in Wellsville and not have to travel out of town.”
The sentiment struck a chord with members of the BMPTS board, particularly Treasurer Kate Williams and newcomer to Wellsville Chaz LaGreca, who at the meeting was talking with Benjamin Evans, the new curator of the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum. Evans was so impressed by Laurynn’s generosity that he made a matching donation to the project on the spot.
That put the ball in motion. Like a couple of forwards on the soccer pitch Williams and LaGreca made the assist and organized Laurynn’s Matching Challenge, the second official fundraiser for the Babcock theater project.
Williams said, “Now we’re challenging the community to match Laurynn’s spirit. Our goal is for 1,000 people to each give $118 — just like Laurynn — to raise $118,000 to restore The Babcock as a space for movies, educational programs, and community events. Every dollar raised through Laurynn’s Matching Challenge will go directly toward the preservation and reopening of The Babcock Theater in Wellsville.”
To participate in Laurynn’s Matching Challenge
- Donate $118 (or any amount you can give) to match Laurynn’s generous gift.
- Share this campaign with friends, family, and on social media to help spread the word.
- Leave a message for Laurynn in your donation comment. We will make sure she sees it.
“If one young person can rally her talents for the cause, imagine what our whole community can accomplish together,” Williams commented.
Donations to Laurynn’s Matching Challenge can be made through Venmo at @babcocktheater, our GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/e16dce98 Or sent to:
Babcock Movie Theater Preservation Society
C/O Barry Glickstein
126 Maple Ave
Wellsville, NY 14895
Read more about Laurynn’s efforts:
