By Margo Greenman
“There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the arts.” – John F. Kennedy.
Throughout history there have always been supporters of the arts. People and leaders believe that when the arts are supported, general prosperity in communities prevails. Because of this, it comes as no surprise that Washington State’s arts-centric capital city, Olympia, is home to many arts-minded advocates. One of these supporters is Thurston First Bank’s President & CEO, Jim Haley.
Over the course of Haley’s banking career he has always found meaningful ways to express his support of local arts. One way that Haley currently does this is through his role as Vice Chairman of Finance for Olympia’s Washington Center for the Performing Arts. Bringing with him more than 40 years of financial experience and expertise to his role, Haley helps the Washington Center manage their budget effectively and efficiently. But he doesn’t stop there. Over the years Haley and Thurston First Bank have done everything from sponsor Washington Center programming (like this season’s upcoming national Broadway tour of Memphis the Musical) to hosting pre-performance receptions and even rounding-up a group of Thurston First Bank clients who helped fund the remodel of the Washington Center’s green room.
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts’ Executive Director, Jill Barnes, says this kind of support is tremendous. “As an executive committee member, [Jim’s] been very involved,” she explains. “He attends meetings and provides insight, advice and oversight of everything that we do here at the Washington Center.” Haley’s duties as Vice Chair of Finance include reviewing financials and making budget recommendations, but also extend to other areas as well. “He’s just been such a great supporter of what our mission is at the Washington Center in the programming that we provide and the place that we hold in the community,” Barnes says.
These types of contributions have been substantial not just for the Washington Center but for downtown in general. “Jim is a big supporter of downtown Olympia,” says Barnes. So much in fact that earlier last fall Thurston First Bank moved from their location on Pear Street to the Thurston First Bank Building in downtown Olympia, conveniently situated kitty-corner from the Washington Center.
Because the Washington Center’s mission is to provide a professional place for its local artistic partners to use, the support provided from people like Haley doesn’t stop at the Center, but rather extends to the many non-profit groups across Olympia that help create the vibrant arts community that we know and love.
“Culture, including the performing arts, enriches every community and allows us to celebrate our diversity,” says Haley. “The Washington Center is a cornerstone for downtown, and the performing arts is a gathering place for the community.” Admiring the history and potential that downtown Olympia possesses, for Haley, supporting local arts and Olympia’s spirited downtown is not a question of “if,” it is a question of “how” and how much.
Whether it be through sponsorship of an event or just lending a helping hand, Barnes says, “Anything to enhance and bring out the positive and wonderful things that are happening in downtown Olympia, Jim and Thurston First Bank are on board to brag about it and help make it happen.”
But you don’t have to be on the board of directors to show your support for the Washington Center and the local arts. The Washington Center heavily depends on the support of the community to keep its programming alive and thriving. Whether becoming a friend of the Washington Center and making a generous donation or simply by attending one (or more) of the many productions that grace the Washington Center’s stage, every contribution made to the Center helps keep the arts alive in Olympia for years to come.
If you’d like to make a donation to the Washington Center, please visit their website here to learn how you can become a “friend” and supporter of Washington Center programming. Or, grab a group of friends and make plans to attend a show, like the Washington Center’s upcoming national Broadway tour of Memphis the Musical (featuring Olympia’s own Jennifer Seifter), exclusively sponsored by Thurston First Bank.
