Foundation for Roanoke Valley Awards Second Year Grants from Educate. Inspire. Create.

Foundation for Roanoke Valley announced today it has awarded $60,000 in grants as part of its three-year Arts & Culture Initiative.  This initiative, funded through the Foundation’s Community Catalyst Funds, provides grants to non-profit organizations or local school districts based on two objectives: 1) Educate. Inspire. Create. and 2) Arts at Work.  The following grants were awarded through objective Educate. Inspire. Create:

Jefferson Center Foundation was awarded $15,000 to support its interactive Song project.  This project will focus on expression, literacy, self-esteem, collaboration and cultural awareness.  Artists will lead students in the processing of songwriting, from brainstorming to writing lyrics, creating musical accompaniment, performing and recording.  Students will complete the project with performances and the production of a CD that can be sold to support the schools.

Roanoke Children’s Theatre (RCT) was awarded $5,000 to support RCT Kaleidoscope camp.  The camp will allow Roanoke Children's Theatre to partner with local school resource/special education teachers to conduct theatre arts educational programming with and for developmentally disabled K-12 students onsite at RCT.

Smith Mountain Lake Good Neighbors, Inc. was awarded $5,000 to support a free four-week summer day camp and after school programs at Burnt Chimney Elementary School and Sontag Elementary School in partnership with the Roanoke Children’s Theatre.  RCT will use theatre to enhance participant reading, writing and communication skills.

VH1 Save the Music Foundation was awarded $25,000 to restore an instrumental music education program in one Roanoke City Elementary School and assist with the purchase of new instruments.  The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is dedicated to creating systemic change in the American public school system by rebuilding instrumental music programs in public elementary and middle schools and by raising awareness about the importance of music education.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia was awarded $10,000 to support its ImageMakers program.  ImageMakers encourages Club members to learn and practice black-and-white, color, digital and alternative process photography. The program exposes youth to cutting-edge technology curriculum and provides opportunities to showcase their artistic talents. It enables them to express and develop their creativity with still-images and videos and equips them with essential digital literacy skills.

“The SML Good Neighbors strategic plan calls for development of after-school programs for elementary school children from families with limited resources,” says Russ Baskett, at SML Good Neighbors, Inc. “The Educate. Inspire. Create. funding is allowing us to implement an out-of school theatre program in Franklin County—Student Enrichment in the Theatre Arts—in partnership with the Roanoke Children’s Theatre. We will have activities in our Summer Enrichment Day Camp program and after-school programs during the school year in two elementary schools. This program in the arts adds excitement, depth and texture to the programs for our Good Neighbors children.”  

"Our work in Roanoke City Public Schools is an inspiring story," adds Paul Cothran, Vice President & Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. “Through a successful partnership with the Roanoke City Public School District that began in 2009, we are one step closer to completing our major rebuild in all 17 elementary schools in the District, ensuring that all Roanoke students have access to the many benefits of comprehensive instrumental music education.  This is possible because of the generous support of donors like Foundation for Roanoke Valley; and we eagerly look forward to joining the District and community in celebrating the success of our efforts in the coming year.”

Applications for objective Arts at Work will be available online at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org beginning August 1^st. 

Foundation for Roanoke Valley is the community foundation serving this region.  The Foundation has worked for more than 25 years to administer and make grants from hundreds of named endowment funds on behalf of the community.  For more information, visit Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website at www.foundationforroanokevalley.org or call 985-0204.

Photo L to R: Laurie Gibbons, Chief Operating Officer at Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia; Amanda Mansfield, Director of Development at Roanoke Children’s Theatre; Cari C. Gates, Supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts at Roanoke City Public Schools; Dylan Locke, Artist Director at Jefferson Center; Amy Milberger, Director of Development at Jefferson Center; and Russell Baskett, Executive Director at SML Good Neighbors, Inc.