Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Willcox Theater and Arts, Inc.
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As: WTA
Mailing Address: 134 N. Railroad Ave, P. O. Box 217
City: Willcox
State: AZ
Postal Code: 85644
Main Phone: 5207663335
Main Fax:
Organization Website: www.willcoxtheater.com
Employer ID Number: 45-5329399
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 3/19/2023
Requested Amount: $7,500

Project Title: ArtsRAGEOUS Youth Art and STEAM Program
Project Description:

The overarching goal for Willcox Theater and Arts’ (WTA) year-round ArtsRAGEOUS Youth Art and STEAM Program is to "open doors." ArtsRAGEOUS focuses on creative outlets for youth from Willcox and the surrounding rural communities to explore, learn, achieve, and receive recognition for their accomplishments. ArtsRAGEOUS provides opportunities for all youth, especially those who are often overlooked or spend too many hours alone on video games or consumed by social media.

Willcox area youth have few opportunities to exercise creativity, excel through the arts, or engage in project-oriented STEAM learning. Arts learning is virtually non-existent in the local K-12 schools that serve Willcox and the smaller communities. These arts workshops for youth are crucial to the development of the whole child; one teen boy wrote, "You can take a picture of a bird or a landscape, but you can’t take a picture of a dragon. With art, you don’t just retell others’ stories, you tell your own." ArtsRAGEOUS not only encourages youth to explore their creativity and interests through a variety of arts, crafts, and STEAM programming but actively promotes life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, mentorship, problem-solving, and self-confidence in an inclusive and supportive environment.

Artistic and STEAM-oriented opportunities to participate, explore, learn, and accomplish are accessible to youth through WTA’s programming during the school year and during WTA’s eight-week Summer Youth Program. Summer program offerings include visual arts, digital art, photography, clay, coding, 3D design and print, podcasting recording and streaming, and general crafts. School year offerings focus on visual and digital arts, 3D design, and print and coding. Building ArtsRAGEOUS for 2024 brings more opportunities for more youth to tell their stories, explore creativity through various art media, experience creative STEAM problem-solving and project work, and test the limits of their possibilities.

Total Project Budget: $38,050

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): $23,050 Committed: The Boeing Company, $2,000; The Albertsons Company Foundation, $3,000; Arizona Commission for the Arts, $1,500; Arizona Community Foundation, $4,750; WASA (Willcox Against Substance Abuse), $4,800; WTA Funds, $7,000. $15,000 Potential: Charles and Joan Hemanowski Family Foundation, $7,500; Goldberg Foundation, $7,500.

Project Duration: 12 months
Geographical Area Served: Rural Southeastern Arizona; 30-mile radius surrounding Willcox, with a population of 9,800
Age Group To Be Served: Youth K-12, with emphasis on Grades 5 and above.

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Dr.
Contact First Name: Gayle
Contact Last Name: Berry
Contact Title: Executive Director
Contact Phone: 520-766-3335
Contact Email: willcoxtheater@gmail.com