Photo credit: Mikki Schaffner Photography

That’s right. ArtsWave will be on air via prime-time television Tuesday, March 12, from 8-10 p.m., when hundreds of thousands of viewers tune in for “NCIS” and “FBI,” two of CBS’ most popular shows.

And what will be doing? Funding the arts in a new way for us: through a telethon! Many thanks to the ArtsWave Community Campaign Chair, Cincinnati Bell President & CEO Leigh Fox. Leigh and his team created this new opportunity for us. As you might imagine, we’ll have representatives from the arts on air to talk about the impact the arts are making in 50+ neighborhoods and 500+ schools throughout the region. ArtsWave and Cincinnati Bell teams will be on the phone taking callers’ pledges.

While a telethon is not a new concept, it’s a first for ArtsWave. We don’t know how much it’ll raise, but we know it’s a new avenue for telling the story of arts impact. Leigh and his team continue to push the envelope, not just in fundraising, but in communicating both the importance of Greater Cincinnati’s arts and the awareness of ArtsWave as the largest collective source for funding them. We’ve held a country music singer-songwriter benefit with Nashville artists, created a new arts calendar and held an online auction. None of these ideas would have happened had it not been for Leigh and his team.

We know it takes literally tens of thousands of gifts to meet and exceed the $12.4 million stretch goal Leigh has set. These ideas, along with the hundreds of workplace campaigns and corporate gifts, are how we will get there.

We all know “it takes a village.” In this case, it takes a region. Many thanks to all of you reading this for helping us to keep our arts community strong