Not to fear folks, there’s always sparklers.The recession can take our jobs,
Published 7:00 am Thursday, April 1, 2010
Not to fear folks, there’s always sparklers.The recession can take our jobs, our dignity and our hopes for a better future for our kids. But our fireworks? That’s just salt in the wound.One Reel, the non-profit that produces Gas Works annual Fourth of July fireworks display, says without a last-minute cash infusion they’re going to have to cancel this year’s event. In the past, Washington Mutual ponied up the $500,000 it took to keep the skies lit. When JP Morgan Chase took over WaMu in 2008, it promised to extend its commitment to One Reel for a year. That year being last year. Just because it’s not bankrolling a pyrotechnic display, however, doesn’t mean Chase has run out of charitable funds to throw around. It just chose to divert them to something a little more high-brow. Specifically, Seattle Art Museum’s landmark Picasso exhibit, of which it’s a sponsor.Funding an art exhibit rather than a crowd-pleasing American custom may seem like a curious move for a retail bank hoping to attract more customers. But it’s all part of a $10 million pledge Chase made to the struggling museum last year. A repayment of sorts for the $60 million hole it blew in SAM’s budget when it decided not to renew a lease in the expansion tower. In that instance SAM was saved by Nordstrom, who agreed to take over the space. Hopefully a similarly benevolent intervention can take place between now and July 4. Cuz really, haven’t we sacrificed enough?
