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Olivia Montgomery, the outreach coordinator to underserved populations at the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said she was inspired to start the fundraiser because the movie recently surpassed James Cameron’s 1997 film “Titanic” to become the third-highest grossing film in U.S. cinematic history.
“I thought about kids who hadn’t seen it and I wanted them to be able to experience it,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery originally posted a message on Facebook stating she was doing a random drawing for five free tickets to the film. She then posted a new message challenging people to match her donation and reached out to Chakeres Theaters Inc. to participate. With help from the theater and donators, Montgomery was able to purchase 110 tickets for the 7 p.m. showing on Thursday, filling the theater to capacity.
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She said the tickets will be provided to a boy’s mentoring group in Springfield and individual families in the area.
“For everyone who says Springfield is a bad place, here’s proof we are an incredible community,” she wrote on Facebook. “Thank you to everyone who donated! You’ve absolutely made a difference in a child’s life!”
This isn’t the first time Montgomery has given back to the community at large. She has previously organized events through the Springfield chapter of the NAACP and hosted community forums for minorities to help foster better relations in the city.
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Montgomery said she’s thankful for everyone who helped to rent out the theater so quickly and give back to the community.
“Representation is super important and I wanted them to have that opportunity to see it on the big screen,” she said. “Everyone made it easy and I couldn’t be happier about that.”
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