Smithville Charitable Foundation donates $20,000 to Astra Theatre efforts

The Smithville Charitable Foundation has approved and awarded a $20,000 grant to Next Act, Inc., to be used for the purchase and/or renovation of Jasper’s historic Astra Theater.

“We are humbled by Smithville’s belief in our project and our community,” said Leslie Hamby, Next Act, Inc.’s chairperson.  “This philanthropic support is an investment not only in the future of the Astra Theatre, but also in our area’s arts and cultural awareness and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

“As you may be aware, Smithville Communications, Inc., has a small group of customers in Dubois County and we hope that those customers will be able to take advantage of the Astra Theater,” said Darby McCarty, Smithville Communications’ President and CEO. “We have had an opportunity to see how revitalization of a community property can bring more life to downtown. Smithville Fiber looks forward to working with Jasper on the project of getting fiber into the city.”

With more than $400,000 raised — $300,000 for the endowment and more than $100,000 for the purchase, Next Act, Inc. is incredibly close to their goals. They hope to make an announcement in the very near future about a purchase date.

For additional information about Next Act and the Astra Theater, visit http://www.TheNextAct.org.  More information about the Smithville Charitable Foundation can be found at http://www.smithvillefoundation.org.