Church St. School Reaches Recovery Goal with $20K Donation

A Tribeca resident and father of three donated $20,000 toward repairs for offices and performance spaces of the Church Street School for Music and Art, 74 Warren St., which were severely damaged in March when a fire broke out in an apartment above, setting off sprinklers.

David Faucon approached the school in the final days of its online crowdfunding campaign, when it was far short of reaching its fundraising goal of $30,000. With his contribution, the initiative raised a total of $36,286 – exceeding its goal by 20 percent.

“I am just happy to help the school in these unfortunate circumstances,” Faucon said in a statement. “The school reached out for help; I simply thought, ‘why not me?’”

Lisa Ecklund-Flores, executive director and founder of the school, said she is deeply grateful for the support of Faucon and other donors.

“This campaign has revealed the silver lining to a very unfortunate event,” Ecklund-Flores said in the statement. Church Street School is a valued institution and the community wants us to survive.”

Besides Faucon, 91 other people donated money.

The school will use the contributions to supplement their insurance reimbursement.

Demolition and rebuilding of the damaged spaces is expected to begin within weeks, and Ecklund-Flores said she plans to have the school fully functioning by the time classes begin in the fall. Funds raised through the campaign will help pay for temporary office space while repairs are being made. They will also cover the cost of office furniture and the replacement of destroyed computers, office equipment and musical instruments.