Spanning the gamut from youngsters to seniors, many members of the community will have their lives enhanced again through the arts, thanks to The Circle – a solicitous group of women at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.
Circle members gathered last Monday evening to vote on which of the Museum’s educational outreach programs would be this year’s grant recipients at a reception sponsored by Maya Peterson. Ladies enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres as they mingled and reviewed the various finalist programs.
Volunteers on the all-important site visit committee, led by Mackie Duch, had previously conducted program site visits and reported their findings at informational meetings earlier in the year. Based on their findings, circle members were all offered the chance to participate in the process of narrowing down the choices from an initial 12 programs to the final four.
The group was formed in 2009 to augment the Museum’s Community Engagement and Enrichment programs after learning of budgetary cuts to arts funding on state and national levels. Utilizing the giving circle format of pooling resources, members annually contribute $250 or more to fund the various initiatives, providing cultural opportunities to individuals who might otherwise have little or no access to the arts.
The programs are provided at no cost to participants and are grouped into four categories – School Programs, working closely with teachers and schools; Community Engagement Partnerships, collaborating with outside organizations; Student Programs, providing services outside of regular school hours; and Family Programs, which allow children and their families to enjoy the arts together.
“What you have done as a group and independently is all so extraordinary,” said Lucinda Gedeon, VBMA President/CEO. “We just can’t thank you enough. We know that whichever of our education programs you choose today will flourish.”
“It’s been a fabulous year,” said outgoing steering committee chairwoman Susan Von Hagen, thanking all the ladies for their support, especially noting the steering committee – Susan Smith, who will chair next year, Lee Albro, Mackie Duch, Sheila Lumsden, Marguerite Rowe and Trude See.
Although she said that this year’s 108 members contributed $30,000, bringing their five year total to $114,700, they were soon to be pleasantly surprised by an additional generous contribution.
Everyone had been provided information on the programs under consideration, and a new member, who wished to remain anonymous, offered to contribute an additional $4,000 to fund the entire cost of the Fellsmere Adopt-A-School Program. The program provides students at Fellsmere Elementary School, a Title 1 school, with an introduction to the arts, culminating with a field trip to the Museum.
Marshall Adams, director of education, gave an overview of the remaining three finalists and answered questions before the final determination, which funded one program fully and another partially.
Full funding was awarded to the Artist in the School program, which annually serves approximately 800 K-12 students through customized Museum field trips and gallery tours.
The remainder will help fund the Art & Healing Initiative, which incorporates three Community Engagement programs: the Intergenerational Art Program, for teens struggling with addiction; the Gifford Middle School Exceptional Student Education Program, for special needs children; and Afternoon at the Museum, for adults with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and related disorders.
New members are welcomed to join The Circle, which will next meet at an opening tea on November 12, 2014. For more information, call Robyn Orzel at 231-0707 x 106.