Community Foundation of the Ozarks

In celebration of National Arts in Education Week, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks will host an open house from 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Moxie Cinema in downtown Springfield. All local educators and arts supporters are encouraged to attend this free event and learn about what’s happening in the arts scene, both in Springfield and nationally.

At 5 p.m. the premiere of a short film by local filmmakers Bryan Manning and Clay Mason – “Any Given Child-Springfield” – will be presented. The event is part of the Kennedy Center “Any Given Child” initiative, which focuses on assisting communities in strengthening and expanding arts education for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Springfield is just the second community selected nationally to participate in the program.

The premiere will be followed by a news conference with Darrell Ayers, vice president for education at the Kennedy Center. Members of various Springfield arts agencies including Springfield Ballet, The Community Foundation of the Ozarks Arts Programming Sustainability Initiative Panel, Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, Moxie Cinema, MSU College of Arts and Letters, Southwest Missouri Museum Associates, Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield Regional Arts Council, SRO Lyric Theatre and Springfield Symphony Orchestra will also be in attendance.

“The Kennedy Center is excited about the future of arts education in Springfield, and looks forward to providing appropriate resources as part of the next steps in the new five-year plan,” Ayers said. “Springfield has such rich arts resources in the schools and community, it has very dedicated people, and now a wonderful new plan to ensure the arts for Any Given Child in Springfield.”

The event includes free movie popcorn and other refreshments.

Moxie Cinema is located at 431 S. Jefferson Ave., in the Wilhoit Plaza, with its entrance on Pershing Street. Parking is available on Pershing, or in the lot at Jefferson and Elm streets.

About Any Given Child (from kennedy-center.org)

The Any Given Child initiative, created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, seeks to bring access, balance, and equity to each child’s arts education, using an affordable model that combines the resources of the school district, local arts groups, and the Kennedy Center. The program is designed for students in grades K-8.

Kennedy Center staff members work with community leaders and school administrators in a Community Team to develop a long-range plan for arts education that is tailor-made for their school district. The Team reviews existing arts resources in the school district and the education programs offered by local arts organizations and companies. Once there is a snapshot of the arts education resources, the Team develops a plan specific to the needs of that community.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks announces 2011-12 competitive grant opportunities totaling $562,000 for initiatives to strengthen non-profit service providers and schools across southern Missouri.

Proposals will now be accepted for program opportunities for the CFO’s new fiscal year, which began July 1. Grants are available in three categories: Metropolitan Springfield; Ozarks Regional; and the Rural Schools Partnership. Applicants must have 501(c)3 or equivalent non-profit status to be eligible to apply. This year’s grant cycle represents an increase of $81,600 over the 2010-11 competitive grants.

Metropolitan Springfield:

The Metropolitan Springfield Grantmaking Program is organized into four areas of interest for the 2011-12 grant cycle, including three new cycles for Early Childhood, Community Innovation and Senior Services.

Community Response Challenge Grants – The Community Foundation will offer $125,000 in challenge grants of up to $12,500 each, which are intended to help support existing programs of Springfield area non-profits that address red-flag issues identified in the Community Focus Report for Springfield-Greene County. The 2011 Community Focus report will be published in early fall. Consideration for matching funding will be given to proposals that address identified red-flag concerns as listed in the Report.

The proposal deadline is 5 p.m., Oct. 14, 2011. Grants will be awarded in late October and successful applicants will have until Jan. 31, 2012 to raise 1:1 matching dollars for the challenge grants, which range up to $15,000 per award.

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The success of the 2nd annual  ”Flights of Fancy” raised $3,455 for the “10 Weeks Festival” from guests who enjoyed seeing  a variety of Springfield performing groups and celebrating the annual Ozzie award winners.

The event hosted by the Springfield-Branson National Airport last Thursday drew more than 200 people to the Airport’s large front lobby area where performers and “cats” attracted quizzical looks from arriving and departing passengers.

The proceeds from the event will go toward the final tally for the “10 Weeks Festival,” a CFO Arts in Action initiative. The proceeds will be divided evenly between the Arts Education Endowment Fund and the Care to Learn program, which provides health, hunger and hygiene needs in Springfield Public Schools and other chapters.

An addition to this year’s Flights of Fancy event was the annual Ozzie Awards, sponsored by the Springfield Regional Arts Council to recognize major support of the arts in our community. This year’s awards were presented to Virginia Bussey, Lifetime Achievement Award; Sen. Roy Blunt, Leadership Award; CoxHealth, Corporate Award; and the SATO-48 film festival, Organization Award. State Sen. Bob Dixon and state Rep. Charlie Denison presented resolutions of support on behalf of the Missouri Senate and House for the Leadership Award to Sen. Blunt.