PDC awards Miracle Theatre Group $30K Grant To Repair Their Roof

Miracle Theatre Group is pleased to announce that it has recently been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Portland Development Commission to fund major repairs to the roof of its Latino arts and culture performance center located within the Central Eastside Urban Renewal Area of Southeast Portland.

"PDC has a strong commitment to neighborhood vitality and local business success," says Becki Marsh of the Portland Development Commission. "We welcome the opportunity to work with community assets like the Miracle Theatre."

El Centro Milagro, a facility that encompasses both the nonprofit organization's offices at 425 SE Sixth Ave. and its performing arts facility at 525 SE Stark St., has been the home of the 25-year-old Miracle Theatre Group since the property was purchased in 1997. The roof has leaked for many years, and a reputable roofing contractor has recommended a major repair.

Marsh says that this grant presents an exceptional opportunity for PDC to achieve its organizational goals of contributing to a diverse, sustainable community while supporting several objectives of the Central Eastside Urban Renewal Area (CES URA). The PDC grant complements significant improvements already made by the Miracle during its 2008-2009 25th Anniversary Season, which were supported by $56,000 in grants, donations and in-kind contributions. During that time, the façade was painted and crowned with a custom-made, bilingual marquee. In the interior, the lobby and adjacent café areas received updated amenities and accessibility enhancements, while the basement studio was transformed with new flooring, paint, lighting and soundproofing in order to expand its use for both theatre rehearsals and community events.

"Even more than the ability to address our concerns for the safety and comfort of our artists and patrons, the PDC grant reinforces our belief in the power of community and recognizes that what we are creating here at El Centro Milagro is a cultural institution that is integral to the vitality of our neighborhood and the region," says Miracle Theatre Group's Executive Director José E. González.

Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community and beyond for more than 25 years. In addition to its national tours, Miracle provides a home for Spanish and Latin American arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of community outreach projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture. The company merges high aesthetic ideals with social responsibility, illustrated by a long tradition of innovative programming to meet the needs of the Northwest's diverse artists and audiences.

"As the Mexican painter Luis Guerra once stated, the artist's role ought to be similar to a shaman's. They should be using their work to heal the spirit of the world and all of its inhabitants. Few places have embodied this sentiment in the Portland area as well as the Miracle Theatre," says PDC Board Member Bertha Ferran. "Far from being just another concert hall, El Centro Milagro has been a bastion of community activity that houses arts education programs along with its notoriously dynamic performances. In addition, they have made studio and performance space available at reduced rates to artists, educators and a variety of community groups."

Miracle's operations meet CES URA goals of:

-- promoting urban diversity as the only professional Latino arts and culture organization in the region serving both the Latino community and the broader community interested in the Latino experience,

-- encouraging long-term employment opportunities that enhance broad vocational and income opportunities, with full-time and part-time employment, and the additional use of many contractors, interns and volunteers,

-- improving neighborhood livability by investing in property, patronizing local businesses and attracting visitors to the neighborhood, and

-- providing affordable commercial space for lease to businesses and employers.

ABOUT THE PORTLAND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
The mission of the Portland Development Commission is to bring together resources to achieve Portland's vision of a diverse, sustainable community with healthy neighborhoods, a vibrant central city, a strong regional economy, and quality jobs and housing for all. Urban renewal is a state-authorized, redevelopment and finance program designed to help communities improve and redevelop areas that are physically deteriorated, suffering economic stagnation, unsafe or poorly planned. PDC uses urban renewal as a tool to focus public attention and resources in blighted or underused areas to stimulate private investment and improve neighborhood livability. As the city of Portland's economic development agency, PDC invests in Portland's future. In particular, PDC's business assistance programs concentrate on creating and retaining jobs; attracting and leveraging private investment; and nurturing business formation and growth. As the city's business advocates, PDC staff help existing or new businesses navigate a wide variety of public and non-profit resources; assist businesses in evaluating Portland as a viable and effective location where your company can thrive; and match business owners with financial and technical resources that can give your company a competitive edge. For more information, visit http://www.pdc.us/business.

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