The Future of Hope College comes down to support from the local community.    
    For the past three months, Hope College has been busy presenting the concepts of a Drumheller based, health care oriented college to potential private supporters and government representatives. Through this process one thing has become very clear:
    If Hope College is going to become a reality it is going to because local residents of Drumheller and the surrounding region believe it to be important and are excited to champion on its behalf.
    People outside of Drumheller are truly impressed that in a recent fundraising proposal connected to an application for grant funding, residents of this community pledged nearly $400,000 toward a possible launch of Hope College. 
    “Several “major players” in the Calgary oil and gas industry have said that this is a remarkable statement of community support that gives monumental credibility to the project. 
    "We concur and believe that it underscores the value, opportunity and need to ensure that the Hope College project is understood and truly valued in the community and region,” said Jon Ohlhauser, Project Leader, Hope College.
    “In this time of global, economic challenge, people do not have as many resources to invest in projects as they had 4 or 5 years ago.  The idea of Hope College has impressed many non-local philanthropists, but the truth of the matter is that most of these individuals have a reduced amount of money available to support projects like Hope, and the projects they do now support are most often within their own local communities,” said Ohlhauser.
    The original business model for Hope College envisioned the need for $1.6 million to cover the start-up costs for the project. 
    In the process of applying for an Alberta Government funded grant, local residents pledged nearly $400,000 in support for Hope College.  If the potential local support for the launch of a locally based college is in the range of $800,000, can the business model for Hope College be readjusted for a successful launch? 
    This is the question currently being considered by the Board of Hope College.
    “The Board of Hope College believes that there is still an opportunity to develop and launch a college in Drumheller with the support of local residents, I imagine a future meeting – or meetings – with residents would be in order to identify some of the possibilities,” Ohlhauser.

    Both Aaron Krogman and Cassia Schramm have been busy performers since graduating from Rosebud School of the Arts (RSA). 
    This Christmas, both actors play the lead roles in Rosebud Theatre’s Christmas show The Gifts of the Magi, opening November 4, 2011.
    Krogman graduated from RSA in 2008 and The Gifts of the Magi marks his 7th appearance on the Rosebud stage as a guest artist. He has also acted in an independent production of David French’s A Soldier’s Heart at the Epcor Centre in Calgary, and a powerful new production about human trafficking called She Has A Name which is now in the planning stages of a Canadian tour. 
    “It’s crazy...but awesome! I’m so pleased to be living this kind of life in the arts. I don’t have a home, but that’s just fine for right now,” says Krogman with a smile.
    A recent graduate of the Rosebud School of the Arts, Schramm is already busy touring theatre productions to schools with two shows, The Amazing Adventures of Clara and Jacques and Justice For Breakfast. She spends a lot of time on the road.  Brimming with excitement she says, “It’s a blessing to actually be a working artist. It’s a crazy thing to be able to say ‘I’m an actor’...because it’s true. It’s such a blast!”
    In addition to their talents as actors, Krogman and Schramm are both gifted singer/songwriters. Schramm’s first album Let The Music In was released in May, and Krogman’s first album will be coming out later this year. Their musical gifts are put to work in The Gifts of the Magi.
    The Gifts of the Magi explores the challenges this loving couple face as they secretly secure the ideal Christmas gift for each other.
    Along the way they meet the jovial Soapy (favourite Rosebud funny-man, Mike Thiessen), a homeless man who wants nothing more than the warmth of jail for Christmas, and Willy (Natalie Gauthier), a street newspaper vendor who sees deeper than the headlines she sells.
    We also get to know many other New Yorkers through the numerous incarnations of City Him (Joel Stephanson) and City Her (Laura Gillespie). The Gifts of the Magi gently reminds us of the power of love and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
    The Gifts of the Magi is a magical musical story for the entire family that will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart as you search for your personal Christmas star.
    The Gifts of the Magi is based on the story by O. Henry, book by Mark St. Germain, music by Randy Courts and lyrics by Randy Courts and Mark St. Germain. It runs at Rosebud Theatre from November 4 through December 23, 2011. For tickets and show times call 1-800-267-7553 or visit www.rosebudtheatre.com.