Circus Smirkus asks for donations

A recent article in the Burlington Free Press reports that Cirkus Smirkus, Vermont's renowned Youth Circus, needs $250,000 to remain afloat. They are going public (literally) to try to retire all of the debt.

Circus Smirkus has established an online payment option on its official Web site, http://www.smirkus.org, requesting that Vermonters donate $1 to keep the Cirkus alive. Founder Rob Mermin is hoping that the generosity of the public will be enough to set Smirkus up on a better financial course.

If every Vermont resident donated to the campaign, Mermin said, the debt would be eliminated. "One dollar to save the circus," he said.