‘Kids can do important work’

When two Newton 10 year olds learned the Capitol II Theatre was having a difficult year, they decided to do something about it.

Miley Hearl and Sierra Gammon with Miley’s mom Emily Gates Hearl gates walked a neighborhood near Berg Middle School going door-to-door to raise money for the theatre. All three wore masks and made sure to keep their social distance while speaking to people.

“People were very happy to give. Everyone was very worried the theater may have to close. Many people mentioned reading the previous Newton Daily News article. People chatted with us about their personal connection or favorite memories of the theater,” Emily said.

They raised $725 just from going door-to-door in the Newton neighborhood. The girls also added some money to the total, but were happy some were thinking of theatre’s mascot, Joy, in their donations.

“Someone even donated a peanut butter jar for Joy! That is her most favorite treat,” Miley said.

Seeing Joy at the theatre and watching her do tricks is the girls’ favorite part of visiting the Capitol II besides goodies from the concession stand.

Once the group learned of the struggles, Emily believed it was a great community service project for the kids. She would rather see them out in the community making a difference than just playing on electronics at home. So the girls excitedly jumped in and worked to support their hometown theatre.

“I wanted to keep it open because so many people have gone there and enjoy it. I don’t want it to close. It’s important to our town,” Sierra said.

Emily is from Pennsylvania originally and her town lost nearly every business this year. They hope to prevent a similar situation happening here in Newton.

“We should do everything we can and not wait for things to go downhill. And plus, the theater is part of Newton’s history. We need to preserve that for future generations,” Emily said.

“The small businesses are run by people living in our community. They are our neighbors and friends and we need to help them out when they need it. Especially when things like the derecho or the pandemic happen,” Miley said.

When the girls delivered the funds to Dawn Bleeker at the theatre, she had “tears of joy” in her eyes at the generosity of two of Newton’s youths and the people who gave.

“I was completely caught off guard when they came up and gave me an envelope full of money. They also had all the people who donated sign a card. I thought that was very thoughtful of them to include everyone on a card,” Bleeker said.

Bleeker is thankful for the community’s support and when residents willingly give to a local business it shows they want local businesses to thrive. The fact that two 10-year-old girls gave their time to raise money for the theatre to help keep it open “really touched” her heart.

“We are proud that we were able to help and we want to say thank you to everyone who donated. People were very generous. It makes us feel good that we could help. Kids can do important work and make a difference too,” Miley and Sierra said.

The girls raised the money in October and Bleeker said that was just the beginning of the community’s support. They have had people stop into the theatre to give cash donations, some who Bleeker knows and others who just want to lend their support. Bleeker said she has also received cards in the mail with words encouragement and donations. People will come in to buy popcorn and leave at tips. The T-shirt fundraiser is still ongoing for anyone who wants to buy shirts, sweatshirts and masks to support the theatre.

“Some days I can become pretty emotional as I try and wrap my head around all the kindness and support people are showing. It’s all such a humbling experience. I can’t thank everyone enough. I don’t know how long this will go on into 2021 but knowing we have so many supporting us and praying for us will help us get through this hard time,” Bleeker said.

People are slowly beginning to return to the movies. The theatre has increased its cleaning measures to make sure people can enjoy the cinema in the safest way possible. Masks are required, except while seated eating and/or drinking concessions. Seating is spaced out between different groups to keep a good social distance between people while they watch the show.

The theatre will have new movie releases for the Christmas holiday. Visit capitol2.com for more information and showtimes.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com