Generous $1.3 million gift from Christel DeHaan Family Foundation unveiled by Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre
The Christel DeHaan Family Foundation has awarded The Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre a Legacy Grant of $1,373,000 that will drive a variety of longer-term opportunities and programs for actors and patrons at the downtown Indianapolis theater company for years to come, interim CEO William Powell announced today.
Ms. DeHaan, who founded Christel House International – a charity that helps children around the world to break the cycle of poverty – was a business leader and philanthropist who was a long-time generous supporter of The Phoenix Theatre and the arts community in Central Indiana.
“The legacy of Christel DeHaan’s generosity and philanthropy is well known. In fact, without Christel DeHaan, the Indianapolis landscape would look very different,” Powell said. “Her Foundation’s gift to the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre underscores her commitment and belief in the arts in Central Indiana.
“Everyone at our Cultural Centre is incredibly grateful that Christel thought of us when she identified her legacy gifts,” Powell said. “Her gift becomes an important part of our history.”
The gift was announced on October 20, just two weeks before The Phoenix Theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary in downtown Indianapolis. The gift establishes The Christel DeHaan Fund Endowment and fulfills the Endowment goal of our current Ignite Campaign of which an update will be unveiled on November 4, which is 40 years to the day since the first production at The Phoenix.
The Phoenix Theatre is one of six resident theatre companies at the Cultural Centre. Others include the Naptown African American Theatre Collective, Eclipse, American Lives Theatre, Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, and Summit Performance Indianapolis. Relevations Dance Company, Actors Ink and Storytelling Arts of Indiana are among others that stage performances at the Cultural Centre which also showcases visual artists and hosts a variety of community events.
“The gift from the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation will allow us build upon our heritage of delivering thought-provoking theater for the Indianapolis community,” Powell said. “We’ll now have a solid Endowment to strengthen our programs that enable us to educate and train actors and others who want to make a career of the arts, and we’ll be able to elevate our focus around diversity and inclusion. This is an important moment for The Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre and the Indianapolis community.”