COVEY AND COVID

COVEY SUPPORTERS AND UNDERWRITERS:

We are sending our spring update a bit late due to the impact of COVID on our planning process for Covey.  COVID has clearly impacted some of both our spring, summer and fall plans but the safety of our supporters must be a priority. We are closely following CDC, State and local recommendations and requirements for gatherings and thus we have delayed in-person, pop-up events or other film activities.  We are in communication with national event organizations, film festivals and theaters and will abide by their recommendations on determining when we can safely be together to enjoy films and discussions.

Some good news though:

• Covey has a new nest! Howell Ferguson and Sharon Maxwell-Ferguson have purchased a building in the Bottoms which will undergo renovation to become an events center and which will serve as a site for Covey Film Festival.  Having a permanent location will allow Covey to host a number of other events and to be a new hub for arts and film in Thomasville!  Look for an open house in late fall.
• Covey is excited at a number of new possibilities during this COVID period:

We will begin streaming select films from our Covey Film Festival website without charge this fall.  Included will be classic films, independent films, documentaries and children’s films.

We will also stream a series of recommended films addressing racism and its impact on children, adults and communities.  We will put the list of these films on our website so that schools, parents and others may watch them at home or in their classrooms.

We are working to have a series of online videos made by actors, film-makers, screenwriters and directors who have agreed to make individual videos about their work.  We are honored that these award-winning professionals are offering their time and experiences to our community in this format.

We will soon be sending our details and instructions out on a community-wide film-making activity.  Our goal is to have different segments of the community such as health care providers, business owners, restaurant owners, students, parents, etc. make a short phone video of how the past few COVID months have impacted their lives or their jobs.  This isn’t a competition but rather an opportunity for the entire community to make a short video that illustrates how self-isolation, being ill with COVID, caring for COVID patients or family members, wearing of masks, practicing social distancing has impacted respective lives in our community.  These will be complied into one video and streamed from the Covey website.

Covey continues to partner with a number of non-profits which helps to expand our reach within our community.  In 2020-21 we will add VASHTI to our partners and look forward to showing “Resiliency” about resiliency in children and young adults followed by a panel discussion with professionals.

The Covey Committee made a decision in earlier spring to move Covey to January due to competition in the community schedule with other events. This year we will begin that process by offering some streamed films through October but will offer other films and our annual gala in January. Please continue to use our Covey website for more information.  We will be posting more updates on a fall schedule as soon as we have better information about group gatherings.  Our gala will be moved to January 2021.

This is Covey’s eighth year!  Since we were established, we have been and continue to be the signature fund-raising event for the Thomasville Community Resource Center.  Since our inception we have raised $360,000 in donations and fees to support the essential work of TCRC.

Please continue to support us keeping in mind that our mission is to” educate, entertain and engage”!