INTRO PIECE FOR SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS PRIMARY AUDIENCE: PARENTS

HEADLINE: SCHOOL NAME Students will Benefit from "Connecting Kids and Culture"

INSERT CONNECTING KIDS AND CULTURE LOGO

More than 39,000 kindergarten through fifth grade students in Polk and Dallas Counties including SCHOOL NAME students will benefit from a new program called, "Connecting Kids and Culture." The new program will make it possible to participate in educational field experiences tied directly to concepts students are learning in the classroom including math, language arts and science. Connecting Kids and Culture also gives educators the option of bringing arts and cultural experiences into their schools.

The Connecting Kids and Culture program, funded through generous grants that Bravo Greater Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation received from The 2007 Principal Charity Classic, will fill a void for transportation funding for out-of-classroom learning experiences. Plus, this innovative program will directly align community-based arts and cultural experiential learning to core curriculum objectives thanks to additional funding provided by Kenneth P. & Helen I. MacDonald through their estate gift to the Community Foundation.

A dynamic and interactive website www.connectingkidsandculture.org is being designed for educators and provides information on curriculum connections with local arts and cultural organizations. The “Field Experience Planner” section of the site will include useful tools such as how to prepare your chaperones and your students, transportation resources, and fundraising tips. This site is also a great resource for parents looking for culturally-enriching educational opportunities in the community to share with their children.

Bravo Greater Des Moines was formed in 2004 as a successor to the Greater Des Moines Cultural Alliance. The mission is to provide Greater Des Moines with an enriched quality of life by increasing awareness, advocacy and funding for – as well as fostering collaboration among – cultural institutions. Bravo distributes hotel/motel sales tax funding to support and sustain local arts and cultural organizations.

Tax revenues are received from the following cities and Polk County: Altoona, Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines, Johnston, Urbandale, West Des Moines, and Windsor Heights. Click her to go to Bravo Greater Des Moines.

The Greater Des Moines Community Foundation is a donor-driven, charitable public foundation with a mission to improve the quality of life in Greater Des Moines through philanthropy. The Community Foundation works to foster greater giving in the community and serves as a catalyst for community betterment www.desmoinesfoundation.org.

The Kenneth P. & Helen I. MacDonald Memorial Fund at the Community Foundation was established with a planned gift from the estate of Kenneth P. and Helen I. MacDonald.