Dedicated to supporting music and arts education in the Athens community, AthFest Educates fulfills its mission by producing two annual fundraisers, the AthFest Music & Arts Festival and the AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K. The nonprofit has just announced its new slate of grant recipients for the 2024-2025 cycle, awarding a total of $65,738.41 towards a variety of programs, experiences, professional development opportunities and equipment. See the official press release below.
Athens, GA — Athens nonprofit AthFest Educates announced its grants today for the 2024-25 school year, awarding $65,738.41 to 18 local K-12 educators and arts educators to support music and arts education. This year’s grants included $36,755.98 for music and arts programs and experiences for young people, $1,218.23 for Professional Development, and $27,764.20 for non-consumable equipment. These grants bring the total of AthFest Educates funds awarded to date to over $690,000. Due to generosity of community donors, and the success of recent AthFest Music & Arts Festivals and the AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K, AthFest Educates was able to increase the total amount of funds available this year by 30%, to over $65,000.
The Nick & Erin Maulding Grant goes to Karen Sweeney Gerow at the Clarke County School District (CCSD) Learning Center, the district’s alternative school, to purchase iPads and a large format printer to expand the students’ art education into digital creation and production.
The Athens Road Runners Grant goes to Canopy Studio, to fund Adaptive Physical Education Field Trips for CCSD Special Education Students. These field trips provide an adaptive approach for students to explore the circus arts, including trapeze, slings, and more.
The John & Patricia Whitehead Grant was awarded to Amanda Price at Clarke Central High School to purchase supplies to expand the 3D Arts program to include sculptural mold making and casting techniques.
The Green Properties, Inc Grant goes to Rebecca Floyd at Cedar Shoals High School to attend the American Strings Teachers Association 2025 National Conference, and Madison Graham at Winterville Elementary School for a performance of local act The PG Show to perform at the schools “Lunch & Lawn” event.
The CandyVet Foundation Grant was awarded to Aaron Price of Cedar Shoals High School to purchase instruments and amplifiers for band formation, allowing Advanced Guitar students to form their own bands, as well as write and perform their own original musical compositions.
The Athens Symphony Susan Dinwiddie Music Education Grant goes to Sarah Waller-Price of Coile Middle School to purchase additional instruments for the band program, allowing the band to once again participate in Georgia’s Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPEs).
Sadie Hammond of Barrow Elementary received a grant to purchase additional Orff instruments and mobile rack to create a full, mobile Orff ensemble.
Sharon Tran at Fowler Drive Elementary was awarded funds to purchase ukulele instruments and accessories for her 4th and 5th grade music students.
Sydney Prince of Oglethorpe Elementary was awarded funds to purchase risers for her choral students, giving them a practical and effective space to rehearse.
Leah Wooddall at Fowler Drive Elementary received funds to purchase digital cameras for her art students to learn the principles of photography and begin creating photographic compositions.
Rosemary Milsap at Cedar Shoals High School received funds to support theater students’ attendance at the 2025 Georgia Thespian Conference, where they will attend performances and workshops to further hone their skills.
Isabel Scarano at Bettye H. Holston Elementary was awarded a grant to fund a weeklong workshop for 4th grade students, featuring local author and illustrator Ruth Allen. The students will write, illustrate, and construct their own accordion-style story books.
HEART Music was awarded funds to provide supplemental instrument instruction to band students at Hillsman Middle School. Small group and one-on-one instruction will be provided by professional local musicians.
Gayla Chambers at the Athens YWCO, received a grant for 30 3rd grade girls to participate in a Puppetry Arts Program over the summer, including attending a performance at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.
Broderick Flanagan of the Economic Justice Coalition was awarded funds for a mural project in the Pinewoods neighborhood, engaging 15 Latinx middle and high school students in conceptualization, design, and implementation of public art in the community.
Dr. Christina Hanawalt at the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art was awarded a grant for 20 middle school students to participate in a 10-week Contemporary Art Studio program in connection with the Lamar Dodd School of Art and Athenaeum, engaging with current exhibits, artists, and participating in art creation.
The UGA Performing Arts Center (PAC) was awarded a grant for 3,000 CCSD students to attend one of the PAC’s Performances for Young People series, including the jaw-dropping acrobatic feats of Circa, the inspirational voices of Kingdom Choir, or the percussive rhythms of Step Afrika!.
Funds for the grants come from individual donations and foundation grants to the organization, as well as profits from the annual AthFest Music & Arts Festival and AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K (November 2-3, 2024).
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