End of Year Direct Appeal Request - Urgent Help is Needed
Arts in Education Aid Council (AEAC) is a nonprofit organization that serves low income public schools of the San Fernando Valley by providing children with an arts education at no cost to the schools or their families. Most of the students we serve live at or below the poverty line. Their parents have no political or fundraising power and thus are unable to gather the necessary resources together to provide music and art classes, cultural field trips and assemblies, or purchase much needed art materials that are necessary to offer an adequate arts program. Schools are forced to look for funding outside of the Los Angeles Unified School District if they want to offer their children arts programs. AEAC serves as an “arts booster club” for low income children, doing all of our own fundraising and donating services and resources directly to schools, bypassing the bureaucracy of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
We are a grassroots organization. We keep our overhead low so we can provide immediate and efficient arts programs to thousands of children in the Valley every year. Over the past twelve years, we have risen within the nonprofit community in Los Angeles as leaders in the field. Our founder and executive director, Spike Dolomite Ward, was selected by the Annenberg Foundation to serve as one of their first “Community Champions” two years ago, serving as a mentor to other nonprofit leaders in the county, helping them develop and maintain effective nonprofit boards. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer last month and has just started treatment, which will go on for the majority of 2012. Since we have entered into a new school year with new financial obligations, we are asking for the public's help. Please make a tax deductible donation by either sending a check to AEAC, 22148 Sherman Way #207, Canoga Park, CA 91303, or via Paypal, by scrolling down to the end of the page after clicking the following link. We thank you for your help. Donate Via Paypal
Mission Statement
Our mission is to restore a complete arts education program to the public schools of the San Fernando Valley by developing and implementing curriculum, and supporting and celebrating activities and events, in art, music, dance, and theatre for all students. Arts in Education Aid Council will always remain independent of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).Vision Statement
We believe that a well-rounded public education must include the arts in order to develop the kind of innovative thinkers in demand for the 21st century. Now more than ever, a 21st century education relies on the arts to foster the type of thinking that will keep the US in the forefront of the rapidly changing world economy.
We believe that arts education is the right of every child and that no child should be denied access to the arts because of economic status; therefore the arts should be funded the same as other subjects. The arts play an important role in human development; without them, students experience a disconnection on many levels.
We believe the arts promote creativity and humanity in the learning environment. Children who are given the opportunity to grow in their creative expression generally have a positive attitude in school. Enjoying success in school improves self-esteem, as well as relations with peers, teachers, and school personnel.
We believe that children learn in different ways; however, the current educational model primarily develops the mode of learning best measured by standardized tests. If success in school is determined by being labeled as "academic" (successful), then students labeled "non-academic" (not successful) are being marginalized, underserved, or misdiagnosed. The one-size-fits-all system is failing them.
We believe that children in crisis find healthy ways to express themselves through the arts.
We believe the arts provide an important insight into other cultures. By introducing students to these cultures through art, music, dance, and traditional practices, they have an opportunity to learn about and respect those different from themselves.
Finally, we believe that our organization can effect long-lasting, sustainable change in school communities because we are independent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and the local, state, and national laws constraining it. We are able to work with schools on an individual basis, bringing services directly to children from the "bottom up." We are not imposing our vision from the “top down.” We are responsive to each school’s needs, and able to design appropriate curricula for that school community. As our organization continues to grow, we will adopt more schools, thereby transforming one school at a time through comprehensive art programs.
