ENDOWMENT

Caterpillars are extremely underrated. We look right at them and never give a thought to their importance. Six years ago Southside Elementary School was just such a caterpillar, deserted, neglected and ignored. Most people drove past it never glancing in its direction or imagining its potential. Thankfully, a group of citizens who were devoted to the Arts and the City Fathers joined together to help an amazing butterfly emerge. The former school became the Cultural Arts Center providing meeting, rehearsal, performance, fund raising, teaching, summer camp and storage space for our local Arts organizations. At last the Southeast Alabama Dance Company, the Wiregrass Community Orchestra, the Southeast Alabama Community Theatre, the Patti Rutland Jazz Company and the Wiregrass Art League had a home. The synergy and creativity were palpable, radiating from the Center like rays from the sun!

At the same time as this artistic convergence was occurring a very serious fragmentation of our public schools’ funding was eliminating art and music in our elementary and middle schools. Now this brand new butterfly had a secondary mission, and with the help of music educators and 150 volunteers, the Encore Music Program brought music back into the curriculum. As a result permanent music teachers are present in all of our elementary and middle schools and are funded by the City of Dothan.

The members of the CAC take teaching the Arts very seriously because they understand the fundamental under girding the Arts provide in a child’s emotional and educational development. Each organization feels a great responsibility to our public school students who are often underserved. With the space the Center provides in which to hold classes, over 100 underserved children receive instruction in vocal and instrumental music, art and dance every week. In fact, in the first six months of 2008 more than 18,000 children and adults have come through the doors to learn, practice, perform or be entertained. The CAC Summer Camps are underway now, offering campers experience in all the disciplines for one of four week long sessions. SEACT also offers theater camp every summer where theater arts are studied, practiced and performed.

All of this very important programming requires funding. This community and the City of Dothan have been very generous to the Cultural Arts Center in helping provide the monies needed to carry out this important work. Last year the Board of Directors established a Cultural Arts Center Endowment. The purpose of which is to establish permanent financing for the Center to carry out its mission. An endowment is so important in that it insures continuous growth and service of the Cultural Arts Center. Please consider making a tax deductible contribution with the knowledge that the CAC will be judicious stewards of this funding and with the satisfaction that you have helped to bring the Arts into lives that will be forever changed for the better.

J.E. Saliba

 

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