Ticket Fairy Endowment at the Mary Schwartz Summit
September 14, 2023 | Giving at Kline Galland, Mary Schwartz Summit
The Mary Schwartz Summit is excited to announce the establishment of the Ticket Fairy Endowment through a generous gift from the family of a Mary Schwartz Summit resident.
The Ticket Fairy program was developed in 2018 as a collaboration between the donor (who prefers to remain anonymous) and Marilyn Israel, the senior member of the Summit Life Enrichment staff. Together they shared a belief that engagement in the arts improves the quality of life and well-being for our senior community. Marilyn created the structure and logistics of this project and continues to manage this vibrant program.
The process is simple. Residents interested in attending a sponsored event enter their name in the “Ticket Fairy Box”, and then through a blind drawing “winners” are selected. The Summit provides transportation; Life Enrichment staff attend as chaperones.
The Ticket Fairy Program has provided Summit residents with a variety of complimentary tickets to a multitude of the greater Seattle areas’ performing arts venues. An afternoon at the Pacific NW Ballet, a concert by the Seattle Symphony or most recently a rousing production of “Hello Dolly” at Village Theatre, are typical of the events offered to residents. Marilyn, who has a wealth of connections to the Seattle arts community, is able to leverage her contacts for a wide variety of cultural experiences and is often able to enrich the experience by having some of the actors meet with residents after performances.
In 2022, the program expanded to include funding for the Summit Theater Company. During the pandemic and because of the lack of performing arts programs available, residents discovered the rewarding opportunity to become engaged in their own productions. Funding from the endowment allow residents who are participating in a play to interact with professionals who assist and provide for an authentic theatrical experience (i.e., music direction, sound engineer, costume and set designers). Multiple showings of the play are performed to allow residents as well as families and friends to enjoy the performance.
Jeff Cohen, CEO of Kline Galland, said “With a transformational gift of $500,000, the Ticket Fairy Endowment is now funded through perpetuity. We are so grateful for the support of the donor family who have chosen to ensure arts and culture are accessible to every resident of the Mary Schwartz Summit.”
The donor family felt that this gift enhances what they recognize as one of the core values of the Mary Schwartz Summit – its unique ability to create a supportive and dynamic community – for those who live and work there.
We are deeply grateful for this gift and thrilled to have the Ticket Fairy Endowment ensured for our residents, now and in the future. If you would like to learn more about giving opportunities, please contact:
Nate Nusbaum
Chief Philanthropy Officer
NateN@KlineGalland.org
(206) 456-9702
