- May 23, 2025
The Friends of the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center have launched a new fundraiser, one where participants' support of local arts will be set in stone.
The Friends of the PAC are inviting the community to purchase a personalized brick for the theater's new Legacy Garden, to be installed sometime in July 2026. People can purchase a 4-inch-by-8-inch brick for $150, or a larger 8-inch-by-8-inch brick for $250. The funds will go toward supporting the PAC and its mission to bring art events and entertainment to the Ormond Beach community.
The Legacy Garden will be located near the PAC box office.
"It's something that many, many people can see — not just the people going to events, but anyone who might be interested," said Lucy Jackman, president of the Friends of the Performing Arts Center. "And it's there for a lifetime."
Friends of the PAC board members LC and Tommy Tobey helped make the fundraiser a reality, organizing it within four days after Jackman spoke to them about the idea. They're hoping that, in addition to supporting the PAC, the brick fundraiser also helps raise awareness that the theater is open.
The PAC reopened in December following a small fire incident in February 2024. At the time of the fire, the PAC had just reopened after a $1.7 million renovation that took over 18 months to complete.
"People don't realize that we're open and we are running," LC Tobey said.
Year to date, the PAC has sold over 9,000 tickets for shows, said LC Tobey, who along with husband is working as the PAC's art gallery coordinator.
"A lot of people who are coming, it's their first time," LC Tobey said. "We try to tell them about the gallery and they're going, 'Oh I didn't know you were open.' I think that's the biggest thing we're hearing ... So the impact (of the fundraiser) is to bring people awareness and give them the opportunity to invest in a brick so they can become part of the family."
So far, the Friends of the PAC have sold 10 bricks. Tommy Tobey said they are hoping the fundraiser helps create a connection between the community and the PAC, as residents can purchase bricks for themselves or family members.
"So if you've got a grandchild that you put their name out there on that brick, 20, 30 years down the road, as far as we know, the memorial garden is still going to be there," he said. "They can go back and see it."
The Friends of the PAC is an all-volunteer force.
"It's trying to create that connection with the Performing Arts Center and make it more of a community project where the people from the city of Ormond Beach and Daytona Beach get together and support the Performing Arts Center," Tommy Tobey said.
When he and LC, both of whom are artists, moved here 10 years ago, there was a big need for local arts. That has only increased, he added.
LC Tobey agreed.
"Art is so vital to the community, because it's a way of healing," she said. "It's been proven scientifically that art will heal the soul and the heart. I really feel that art needs to be there."
Jackman said said that, since reopening, the PAC has had several sold out and almost sold-out shows, often with only 10-15 seats remaining.
"It's all very, very positive, and when we add the bricks to the outside, to us that enhances the building," she said.
For information about the fundraiser, visit https://www.thefriendsobpac.org/brick.
