Backstage at the Egyptian with Executive Director Alex Nerad on Give DeKalb County

Interview with our Executive Director Alex Nerad. Interview conducted by Erin Cronin.

ERIN: What is Give DeKalb County? When is it?

ALEX: Give DeKalb County is a 24 hour fundraising day with over 100 non profit organizations in DeKalb County participating. This year it is taking place on Thursday, May 5 from midnight to midnight. You can join in on the fun all day by joining us on Facebook! We will be going live at the top of the hour, every hour from 8 AM to 9 PM with updates and special guest interviews all day. Can’t watch it live? Don’t worry! All the live streams will be saved on our Facebook page and uploaded to our YouTube page.

E: How long has the Egyptian Theatre been participating in this day?

A: We have been participating since the annual event began over 5 years ago. We have ramped up our participation through the years and have been humbled by the tremendous support the Egyptian Theatre and all participating non-profits receive on Give DeKalb County. This giving day is successful because of all our tremendous supporters out there, our board of directors, our amazing volunteers, and our incredibly passionate staff that go above and beyond every year to make this day fantastic for the Theatre.

E: How can people support the Egyptian Theatre?

A: Anyone interested in making a donation big or small can go to www.LightsCameraDonate.org on May 5 to make a donation. Every donation made on May 5 through that specific website will be proportionally matched by a bonus pool of over $150,000.

E: What is the Egyptian Theatre raising money for this year?

A: As we continue to recover from the devastating impact the pandemic had on the theatre, we will be raising funds to support the ongoing operations and preservation of the historic Egyptian Theatre. Every dollar raised will go directly to helping the Egyptian Theatre provide this community jewel for over 25+ local organizations each year, many free events each year, lots of great touring shows, diverse programming, and ongoing efforts to preserve this beautiful building.

E: What should people do if they want to support more than one organization?

A: We encourage donors to support more than just the Egyptian Theatre! It is a great day to support the many wonderful non-profits we have in our county. Donors can easily make a donation to multiple groups online or by mailing a check. Details on all of that can be found at www.givedekalbcounty.org