Help Geary Dance Center leap into 2022!
Geary Dance Center (GDC) was founded in 2011 by Brooke Byrne and Sonoo H Petty. Two dancers/dance teachers with the mission of providing fun, educational, passion filled dance lessons to children as young as 2 and adults.
When San Francisco mandated full shutdown for some businesses, GDC credited everyone the remaining Spring Semester tuition. Overnight, GDC lost 2/3 of its students and 70% of its annual income. Brooke and Sonoo blew through their savings and taught their classes without pay to make sure their employees could be paid. During those 13 months of reduced classes and enrollment, when there was little or no income, they still had to pay rent. Their landlord allowed them to pay only half of their monthly rent, but the back rent due is $60,000.
Brooke and Sonoo applied for many Covid grants and loans. They were successful in securing a CA Relief Grant and one Paycheck Protection Plan loan (and forgiveness) that together covered only 5 months of employee payroll, but there is nothing to help them with their rent. There is no rent relief available for them from the City of San Francisco, the State of California or the Federal Government.
The Fall semester is about to begin. Students are eagerly returning to the dance classes that give them joy, spark their creativity, and allow them an outlet for self-expression during a dark time. Enrollment is 50% below that of the Spring 2020 semester, but Brooke and Sonoo are committed to continue bringing the wonders of dance to their students for their 10th Anniversary year. However, the choices they made to continue classes online and retain their employees throughout has turned into crushing debt that threatens the existence of their much loved business.
They are now faced with the fact that despite weathering the storm and coming close to shore, they may still drown.
They are on their own. But we can help them!
#SmallBusinessRelief
