Education Granted for Catamount Arts

Details: Created on Thursday, 24 March 2016 18:58; Written by Dylan Clark

ST. JOHNSURY- Julie Taymor once said, "there is an incredible power in the arts to inspire and influence." At Catamount Arts, that's just what's happening thanks to a generous donation from an invested community member.

Development Director Amy Stetson hopes this spontaneous generosity can continue year after year.

"It's always nice when you're presented with a $10,000 check," says Stetson. "Hopefully we can just kind of incorporate that year after year."

The generous donation can be traced back to Phil Daniels, who has been close with programs such as the Catamount Arts Program.

"He grew up locally," Stetson says. "He grew up in West Barnet and I grew up with him, and knowing that he has an interest in [this] community and giving back to his roots, I brought the idea of reaching out to TD Bank.

Of course the matter of how the money will be used is the most important and pressing matter, and Education Director Anne Campbell has a good idea of where most of the money will go.

"I think we're primarily going to be using it to pay for our teachers that we hire for teaching classes as well as supplies for those classes," Campbell says.

It's important to realize a grant such as this has a lasting impact on more than just the student involved with the program, but the community as a whole.

"One of the reasons why this is really important to us here is that we are in the Northeast Kingdom, it is the highest poverty area in the State of Vermont and also because we are rural and far away from Chittenden County," says Campbell. "We often get overlooked for some funding opportunities [and] this is a fabulous way to bring some money into the community and to help us keep the program going."

The funding allows preschool through eighth grade students to continue to enjoy learning all forms of arts and education at Catamount Arts.