One More Great Event in the Books

Last night we hosted a great event for the Anti-Defamation League at the theatre.  They screened a documentary called When We Stop Counting, which focuses on immigration and the school system in Crete, Nebraska.  They did this to a sold out crowd.  They had a very engaging panel to answer questions following the film including the Co-Director, the Crete Superintendent, a Crete Bilingual Guidance Counselor, and a student featured in the film.  They also had someone here ready to help people register to vote, if they haven't done so already.

One of the pictures I posted from the event sparked a few comments about how we do things at Aksarben Cinema, and I kind of took it to heart.  Someone mentioned we are getting too political with our events.  Sure we may swing one way more than the other in that sense, but I don’t feel like we do anything but serve a true, genuine, good purpose.  My family, our staff, and I take a lot of pride in the community outreach we have done in the short time we have been open. 

We don’t discriminate against anyone who comes to us with an idea for an event, and we do the best we can to help them make their event a success.  We have done some great fundraising events for local churches and schools raising money for new computers, food groups raising money to help local farmers, biking groups raising awareness about biking in our community, and the list goes on.  We absolutely love doing events like these because they are fun, always create an exciting atmosphere, and those attending always have a great time.

We have received so many appreciative comments from our customers about everything we have started doing in the theatre, which we invite them to participate in.  One customer this weekend told me they like how easy we make it for them to donate or contribute, and that was our ultimate goal.

If you would like to learn more about the ADL check out their new Facebook page: ADL -Anti-Defamation League (Plains States) and their website: http://regions.adl.org/plains-states/

Donations at the Box Office

Before we opened, we knew we wanted to be able to leverage the amount of customers we were going to have and have something good come out of that.  We decided we were going to collect $1 donations at the box office for a local non-profit and allow our customers to contribute easily, quickly, and locally.  

We had heard about a local organization called Angels Among Us.  They provide financial assistance to families who have a child diagnosed with cancer.  After meeting some of the families being helped and learning more about what they are able to provide, we knew we found an organization we wanted to help as much as we could.  Since we opened we have raised over $9,000 for them and the families they assist.

After being open a couple of months, I was being approached by so many local, worthy organizations.  We decided to open up the program and collect for Angels Among Us every other month and spread the love through the community.  We are still able to provide a lot of financial assistance to them, as well as many organizations I was just learning about.  

We have worked with The Red Cross, American Heart Association, Nebraska Humane Society, Women's Center for Advancement, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Together, Inc since we have opened and raised over $7,500.  In the next year we will be working with Cystic Fibrosis, Youth Emergency Services, Hope Center, Anti-Defamation League, Nebraska Kidney Association, and Hearts United for Animals, and of course Angels Among Us.

For the month of March, we are collecting for Open Door Mission.  My mom and I are starting to get more involved with the Mission, and what they are doing down there is incredible.  We attended a baby shower down there a couple weeks ago collecting new baby items for mothers staying at the Lydia House shelter, which I thought was a fabulous idea.  We were also able to attend their President's Luncheon and learn about what they have happening this year.  They will be completing their newest building soon including a larger kitchen to provide meals, emergency shelter for women, and the men's shelter.  It is fantastic to see how much they have been able to accomplish and see how much the people in the community are standing behind them.  

If you are interested in doing a tour there, definitely give them a call.  They also collect gently used items for clients to shop through in their Timberlake Outreach Center. Next time you are in, please consider donating $1 to Open Door Mission.  

For more information visit their website:  http://www.opendoormission.org/

If you are involved with a local non-profit, and would like to discuss our program, please give me a call at 402-502-1914.  I would be happy to discuss it with you!

Working with Together, Inc

Last fall, my dad and I went on a tour at Together, Inc downtown on 16th and Cass.  I didn't know about the organization before this day, and I can honestly say a couple of hours there completely changed the way I see things.  


Together, Inc was started in Omaha in 1975 in response to the tornado which hit hard that year.  It was started as a collaborative effort between a few churches to provide basic needs: food, clothing, and shelter.  They realized people in Omaha needed that help everyday, so they opened their free services year round.  Today, Together, Inc is a food bank supplying other food pantries in the Omaha area, they provide rent and utility assistance, and have a store where clients can shop for free.  


We toured their storage space for the USDA food they receive, and at the time I could have done cartwheels in the space.  They told us their USDA deliveries, which had been pretty steady, were desperately needed and not coming as often.  Before deliveries slowed, they said you could barely walk through the room around the pallets.  There wasn't much USDA food to choose from, and shelves were looking bare.  


After our tour, we sat around a table and tried coming up with ways we, Aksarben Cinema, could help their cause.  We all came up with a great idea, and the result has been amazing!  Give Us Your Food, We'll Give You Ours is the weekly campaign we are running for Together, Inc.  On Sunday's, we ask our customers to bring in a canned good or non-perishable item, and we give them free popcorn in return.  We do this every Sunday, with no end in sight.  It is such an easy way for us to involve our customers, and spread the word about  the great work Together is doing.


After we started this program, and seeing a great response, we were awarded the 'Compassion' award at the Together, Inc luncheon this past fall.  While, we don't do any of this for the recognition, it was really nice to be honored this way.


We have a Free Family Flicks program we do twice a year, in the winter and summer. This year we changed it up this time around to make it Free*.  Customers are invited to see a family film for free with the donation of a canned good, or $1 donation per person.  All of the proceeds are going straight to Together, Inc.  The response from our customers has been so wonderful.  Some customers have commented they like the way it sets an example for their children to help those less fortunate than them.  


When you think about hunger and homelessness, you don't think about it happening here in Omaha.  Maybe it's because it isn't right in front of your face, or you don't want to think it is an issue, but we need to recognize it and do what we can.  The community service aspect of my job here at the theatre, is my absolute favorite part. I have learned so much about so many organizations in the area doing everything they can to help those that need it.  If you want to get involved with Together, Inc and volunteer, give them a call.  I went down for a morning and worked the check in desk for clients and helped organize clothes in the store. Even a couple hours makes a difference.  Their number is (402) 345-8047.  


Thank you to everyone who has donated!

I decided to start this blog to be able to give the back story on the things we decide to do here at Aksarben Cinema. We are a very organic group, and like to do things a little different. We are a local and independent theatre, which means we are the ones in control of the image we are giving out every day with each customer that comes through our doors.

The focus of this blog is going to be a little all over the place giving you insight into pieces of our world including our community service, booking of film, technology, development in the area, and probably more. We tend to be a group that flies by the seat of our pants, but I like that about us.