Long Center: Rising to the Challenge

When we said the Long Center was moving quickly to raise $2.5 million by Oct. 31, we had no idea just how quickly. Only two weeks after announcing $835,000 in gifts toward that amount – the total of a new challenge grant made by Debbie and Kevin Rollins – the center reports another group of donations totaling $1.35 million, including a cool million from Keller Williams Realty. The word came down Sept. 9 at a Corporate Council reception, where the center also announced gifts of $100,000 from consulting engineers Bury+Partners and $50,000 each from BAE Systems, Compass Bank, Hester Capital Management, Morgan Stanley, and Treaty Oak Bank. Besides putting the Long Center over the $2 million mark with regard to the challenge (with seven weeks to collect the remaining $315,000), it leaves the center but $1 million shy of its $67 million construction goal. For more information, call 482-0800 or visit www.thelongcenter.org.