Audi Volunteers Donate Nearly $11,500 Worth of Hours, Items

The Friends of the recently received the 2011 Spirit of New Hampshire Volunteer Service Award, according to a press release sent out by the group.

In giving the group the award, Gov. , D-Hopkinton, said that the group was being awarded "in acknowledgement of your exemplary contributions to volunteerism and to the betterment of life in New Hampshire."

The organization's President Robert Boley noted that the all-volunteer Friends of The Audi had raised and invested more than $1 million in upgrades to the city-owned theater during the past 20 years, fulfilling its mission to "preserve and maintain our historic community stage and foster its affordable and accessible use by everyone in our community.”

The award is now hanging in the lobby of the .

Volunteers make it happen

Pitch-in volunteers donated nearly $11,500, worth of volunteer hours, services, supplies, equipment, and other items in 2011,

Volunteers donated about $9,000 worth of maintenance hours to scrub and polish the theater before the busy start of the 2011-2012 season. Room-darkening shades valued at $1,800 were also purchased for the reception lobby, which will assist in opening up more meeting space opportunities for the lobby. Another $800 was spent steam cleaning carpets and purchasing other supplies and equipment.

Other donations

The group acknowledged that it received other special gifts this year including $1,000 from the from hospitality proceeds of their holiday spectacular show. The Foundation awarded a grant of $500 for the 2012 Page to Stage effort and in Concord also awarded $250 to the project.

More work to be done

Currently, the theater's electrical wiring will soon be fixed by R&T Electric, included in the project are dedicated receptacles on the spotlight decks and outlets in the office. Picture molding will be installed in the lobby enabling the space to be used to show gallery work. The Correctional Industries Upholstery Shop is working on refurbishing the seats in the Audi too.

The group also noted that it would like to thank Public Properties Superintendent Harry Dangora, “who has assisted all our projects and is currently working on refurbishing the stage floor.”

Important dates

8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18: Audi’s event calendar bulk mailing (volunteers needed).

7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21: 21st Annual Rhythm of the Night dance show.

8 p.m. on Feb. 10, 11, and 2 p.m. on Feb. 12, the Community Players of Concord, NH present “The Philadelphia Story.”

Tickets for shows are available at the UPS Store on South Main Street, , , and the .