Community Foundation of Middlesex County Awards $5,000 Grant to Arts for Learning Connecticut

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Hamden, Connecticut – Arts for Learning CT (AFLCT) is delighted to announce it has received a generous grant of $5,000 from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County. This funding, made possible through the Ann and George Petry Fund, Katherine and Willard McRae Fund, Elizabeth Swaim Middletown Fund, and Jean and Biff Shaw Fund, will support AFLCT’s impactful 9-week after-school program, “Express Yourself,” at Beman Middle School in Middletown.

The “Express Yourself” program is a tailored arts learning initiative designed to serve 49 Multilingual Learners (MLLs) at Beman Middle School. The program will provide targeted arts-based instruction, including narrative storytelling, visual arts, spoken word poetry, and dance, emphasizing literacy development and social-emotional learning. Over nine weeks, three multilingual professional Teaching Artists will guide students through creative exploration and self-expression, helping them create original works that reflect their stories. Additionally, students will have access to academic tutoring support with Beman staff during each session.

AFLCT Executive Director John-Michael Parker expressed his gratitude:
“We are honored to receive this support from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County. This grant enables us to address critical needs among Middletown’s students, helping them build confidence, express themselves creatively, and improve literacy skills through the power of the arts.”

The program reflects AFLCT’s mission to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts. AFLCT regularly collaborates closely with Middletown Public Schools, as ell as the Middletown Commission on the Arts, leveraging its diverse roster of over 90 Teaching Artists to bring high-quality, culturally responsive arts education to students and families in the city and across Connecticut.

About the Community Foundation of Middlesex County

The Community Foundation of Middlesex County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County, and to help Good People Do Great Things.The mission of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County is to improve the quality of life for the people of Middlesex County now and in the future by developing endowments, making grants that have impact, and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives. Their interests are your interests, including animal welfare, arts and culture, health and social services, education, history, the environment, civic improvements, recreation, and economic security and opportunity. They welcome conversations with good people who want to do great things.  For more information, contact us at 860.347.0025 or [email protected].