The GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (GoggleWorks) has received approximately $12 million in contributions to its new endowment, The Fund for the Future of GoggleWorks. Tod Auman, board chair, said, “We are happy to announce outstanding donations to help safeguard the future of our purpose of improving lives through unique connections with art.” “These gifts from both inside and outside our community are a vote of confidence, recognizing GoggleWorks as a leader in solving tangible, serious community needs through globally recognized arts programs.”
The Windgate Foundation, according to Auman, contributed $8.8 million to the fund. After GoggleWorks co-founder Marlin Miller, executive director Levi Landis, and trustee Gust Zogas visited the foundation at its headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, Windgate initially provided a matching contribution of $1 million in 2019. “Wingate indicated they had been watching our performance and wished to donate an extra $7.8 million once we reported success in matching the initial donation,” Zogas added. “It’s a credit to Levi’s vision and leadership, who championed this campaign and worked with his fantastic staff and our community to make GoggleWorks more impactful and long-lasting.”
Marlin Miller and his wife Regina gave $1 million to the campaign after co-founding the goggle factory-turned-art center with the late Albert Boscov and the late Irvin Cohen. Landis said the gift was the most recent in a long line of continuous support for the art center, which dates back 15 years.
This sentiment was mirrored by Landis, who hinted at new initiatives to be announced in 2022. “‘Every great gift begs a promise,’ observed my mentor, the late Louis Meyers. We want to broaden our vision this year, energized by these generous contributions, to address the needs expressed by our community, mold the future of Reading and create a more beautiful world.”
