The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant for AileyCamp Miami

AileyCamp Miami enters its fourth season having hosted nearly 300 at-risk children. End Quote

Miami, FL (1888PressRelease) June 22, 2012 - Heading into its fourth season, one of Miami's most impactful summer youth programs - AileyCamp Miami - has received a big boost from one of the nation's largest grant-making organizations. A program of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, AileyCamp Miami has been awarded a $45,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), becoming the only Arts Education program in Florida to be honored with a NEA grant this year. AileyCamp Miami, a six-week camp for public middle school students, brings children struggling with poverty, crime, single-parent households and other challenges to the Center each summer to discover themselves through the power of dance. The program has hosted almost 300 students since its launch in Miami in 2009.

"AileyCamp Miami has impacted hundreds of students from all corners of our diverse community," said Adrienne Arsht Center President and CEO John Richard. "Now we have secured national funding from the NEA that will help make the continuation of this important program possible. National audiences are taking note of the Arsht Center's strides to raise the bar for performing arts education."

The Arsht Center buses in 100 campers - for free - from as far as Homestead and North Miami. The campers take classes in ballet, jazz, West African dance, Horton-based modern dance, personal development and creative communication. At the conclusion of the program, more than 1,200 parents and family members enjoy the campers' final performance on the Knight Concert Hall stage. One of nine AileyCamps around the country, AileyCamp Miami holds a particularly special place in the community because Miami's own Robert Battle is the artistic director of nationally-acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

This year, Miami-Dade residents and supporters of the arts have the opportunity to join the NEA in supporting AileyCamp Miami, which is operated and funded entirely by the Adrienne Arsht Center. Donations for as little as $1 or $10 can be made to support AileyCamp Miami campers on Miami-Dade County's new www.power2give.org, a micro-giving website that supports local arts nonprofits. The Center also has created a new AileyCamp Encore Circle of private donors who support individual campers with $3,000 scholarships and other levels of giving. For more information, please contact Churé Gladwell, Senior Director of Advancement, at 786-468-2242

The NEA is awarding 928 grants totaling $77.17 million to not-for-profit organizations nationwide to support exemplary projects in the arts that give the public increasing opportunities to engage with the arts. Grant awards range from $10,000 to $125,000, placing the Arsht Center's award above the average grant amount. Miami-Dade County led Florida in grants awarded, receiving seven of the 15 given across the state. For a full listing of grant recipients in Florida and across the country

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, as well as the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from local, state and national foundations, as well as private contributions to the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation through corporate and individual giving, Visionary Society membership and the Encore Circle major gifts programs.

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