Another rainy day

5/24

Another rainy day. My coat and shirt are soaked. Mim comes in to plan that evening’s Centre team meeting. She’s brought sandwiches for Fairway for us. A former golden gloves boxer from the neighborhood walks in. Wants to start up something for the kids in the gym. Just needs room for a punching  bag. Shows us pictures of Al Sharpton with his late father. Says that Sharpton introduced him to James Brown, the godfather of soul. Do exactly what he says, Sharpton said, look what he did for me, and ran his fingers through his hair. We tell the boxer we’re looking at the whole picture. 

A couple from Santa Rosa, California, is checking out the  church. Came for their son’s NYU graduation. Came up to eat at Carmine’s. Wandered down this way. Love old churches. 

So much to be done. Trying to make pr for the concert happen. Marsha and I meet to plan for the night. 

The Centre team meets. We report on our progress.The legal situation.  What needs to be done on the 501c3 application. Concert plans. Business plans. Gala plans. The need for a program committee. Katherine notices they our fliers need times and prices. 

Representatives of Friends of West-Park and the neighboring  buildings met with us. Many haven’t been in since February. Amazed at how much has happened. Their desire to help. We decide to focus on priorities: a boiler, the bathrooms, elevator. Our need to produce a business plan. Underlying all of this is my awareness that we need cash now. That the summer may be very bleak. That if we’re not able to find sustaining funds, this all goes away.

On my way home, it rains again. Hard. And I’m soaked. Again.