Abbeville, LA –Vermilion Foundation, an Affiliate of Community Foundation of Acadiana, is granting $50,000 over the next five years to expand access in Vermilion parish to Arts in Education, a program of Acadiana Center for the Arts.
In addition to the five-year, $50,000 commitment, two members of the Vermilion Foundation Advisory Board have each committed $5,000 for one year, and one member has committed $5,000 per year for five years. All contributions will be matched by a group of Arts in Education campaign donors called the “Visionaries”, a partnership with philanthropists through Community Foundation of Acadiana.
In September, Acadiana Center for the Arts (ACA) kicked off the Arts in Education campaign to expand access to the Arts in Education program beyond Lafayette Parish to more than 190 schools across Acadiana. The program supports curriculum development, training, and implementation to provide arts-based lessons in Science, Math, English, and Social Studies while bringing arts experiences across all art forms to students. With the help of Vermilion Foundation’s grant, the initiative will be made possible in all schools within the Vermilion Parish School System.
Vermilion Foundation Advisory Board Member Arlene Collee said, “The Vermilion Foundation is here to make a difference in our parish, so we’re thrilled to partner with the Acadiana Center for the Arts on this important initiative. Expanding access to arts education is essential for the well-being of our community, and we’re looking forward to the real impact this program will make in the lives of students in Vermilion Parish.”
On Thursday, December 19, members of the Vermilion Foundation, Collee and Richard Broussard, presented a check to ACA Executive Director Samuel Oliver, joined by Vermilion Parish School Board.
“The Vermilion Foundation is just ramping up,” said Collee. “Plans are in the works for next year’s giving, and we’re excited for what’s on the horizon.”
Vermilion Foundation, an Affiliate of Community Foundation of Acadiana, has a local advisory board made up of members from Vermilion Parish including Richard Broussard, Annie Caillouet, Arlene Collee, Dr. Jack Gupta, Karen Hoyt, Becky Sirmon Joy, Earl Landry, Pat Patout, Kevin Sagrera, Odile Segrest, Dr. Jacob Demary Sellers, Gene Sellers, Charles Sonnier, and Carl A Turnley.
CFA is one of south Louisiana’s premier philanthropic organizations benefiting our region, with a focus on the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Vermilion. CFA’s core purpose is to build legacies and improve communities by connecting generous people to the causes they care about. Since its inception in 2000, CFA has realized cumulative gifts exceeding $384 million and has made cumulative grants of more than $210 million. You can learn more at www.cfacadiana.org.
Photo: L-R: Rachelle Brown, Vermilion Parish School System Supervisor of Arts, Music and Foreign Languages; Samuel Oliver, Acadiana Center of the Arts Executive Director; Missy Bienvenue Andradre, Community Foundation of Acadiana President & CEO; Thomas Byler, Vermilion Parish School System Superintendent; Arlene Collee, Vermilion Foundation Board Member; Richard Broussard, Vermilion Foundation Board Member; Jason Roy, Vermilion Parish School System School Board President