Coming Full Circle

Vero Beach Museum of Art has numerous valuable assets gracing the gallery walls, positioned in the sculpture gardens and stationed under lights on pedestals. Another, which some call a little known asset, is The Circle and it, too, is a valuable treasure.

The Circle is a philanthropic group currently consisting of 126 women who each contributes $250 annually. Their  gifts can be pooled for greater impact to support community, family and school outreach programs. This year they will put $37,560 into the community to ensure that visual art educational opportunities are available to all ages throughout Indian River County.

Now in its eighth year, The Circle was born out of an economic crisis. The year was 2009 and the museum was about to experience a 98-percent cut in the state-grant funds that supported its educational outreach programs.

Executive Director Lucinda Gedeon believed that a “giving circle” could help close this major funding gap, and she knew just who to tap to get such an effort off the ground. She turned to two dynamic women, Lyn Adams and Diane Wilhelm, who were already serving as chair and vice-chair of The Friends, the volunteer corps of the museum. Once Gedeon explained the need, they took up the challenge and ran with it.