On Friday, June 3, 2022, as part of the First Friday Art Walk, there was a celebration at the MacRostie Art Center to commemorate the late Kathy Dodge. Kathy was a founder of First Fridays in Grand Rapids and a generous contributor to the local arts scene. She was also highly involved in the community and served as a board officer at the Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation (GRACF).
At the June 3rd celebration, the Community Foundation announced that they would be changing the name of their Fund for the Arts to the Katherine T. Dodge Fund for the Arts in recognition of Kathy’s position as a Community Foundation board officer and as a tribute to her championing the arts in the Greater Itasca Area. From Kathy’s husband, Steve Downing, “GRACF’S decision to rename the arts fund in honor of Dodger is so gratifying to me, my family and my friends. I think I can safely predict that Dodger would be utterly overwhelmed. Having Dodger’s siblings there made it especially poignant. Many, many thanks to Susan Lynch and the GRACF board for taking this action.”
The Katherine T. Dodge Fund for the Arts is an endowment fund that supports nonprofit programs dedicated to the Arts in the Greater Itasca Area. This Fund has provided grants to Itasca Orchestra & Strings Program, Grand Rapids Players, MacRostie Art Center, Mississippi Melody Showboat, Grand Rapids Arts!, Northern Community Radio and Grand Rapids Area Male Chorus. If you are interested in donating to Arts in the Greater Itasca Area, please consider a donation to the Katherine T. Dodge Fund for the Arts. You can donate at the GRACF website www.gracf.org/donate and select Katherine T. Dodge Fund for the Arts.
The Grand Rapids Area Community Foundation has been connecting donors’ charitable intentions to community needs for over 25 years to make our Greater Itasca Area – and the world – a better place to live. For more information, visit our website at www.gracf.org or schedule a visit by calling (218) 999-9100.
