$5,000

The SCA received funding from AWARE in 2021 which helped underwrite digital programming for 1st-12th graders (during COVID). Our “SCA Now” segments were viewed by 1,865 students.

If we receive AWARE funding this year for our Outreach Programming, we anticipate serving 250 1st - 12th grade students (at schools and via after school programs) plus 3,000 children, families, and adults at community events. Most of the students we will serve are from “priority populations” (i.e., at-risk, economically challenged, students of color, underserved communities). These students often don’t have access to important creative educational programming, nor do they have opportunities to meet professional creatives.

Chair John Armstrong is Senior Vice President of Global Digital Strategy and Design at Salesforce. He is a multi-disciplinary executive with 30 years of experience as an advisor to the C-Suite, and a leader of transformational change strategies and initiatives. An expert in designing interactive customer experiences across physical and digital channels to leverage Design Thinking, John is keenly focused on customer acquisition, growth and retention.

Vice Chair Jeff Antaya is a digital marketing strategist and retired Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at Plante Moran. Jeff currently sits on the board of ACCESS, and previously served on the board of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Leadership Detroit, Center Galleries Advisory Board (College of Creative Studies) and is a founding member of Cabaret313.

Treasurer Michael Gantt is the Chief Financial Officer at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids. Michael is responsible for the overall financial management and strategic direction of the Zoo. Prior to moving full-time to the Saugatuck/Douglas area, Michael spent the past 20 years managing finances and balancing budgets for several Chicago area not-for-profit institutions, including The Family Institute at Northwestern University and Lincoln Park Zoo.

Secretary Ginny Brooks joined the Saugatuck Center of the Arts Board in 2018, having previously served on the Wharton Center for Performing Arts Board, and the Boarshead Theatre Board in Lansing while living there with her family. Her volunteer experience and interests have been focused on the performing and visual arts, endowments and fund development.

Chair Emeritus Deb Minton is senior director of philanthropy and strategic initiatives for the Grand Rapids-based Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors. Deb oversees philanthropy, strategic initiatives and the expansion of the Phoenix Society's growing list of U.S. and global corporate partners in the health care, surgical, fire-protection, insurance and tissue-bank sectors.

Catherine Blagdurn is a senior consultant at Steelcase, where she has held positions in sales and marketing. She is currently on the guest experience team, hosting clients from all major market segments which keeps her current on design and workplace research.

Patrick Coyle currently serves as Artistic Director for the Holland Chorale, Chorus Master for Opera Grand Rapids, and the Director of Music for First (Park) Congregational Church (Grand Rapids). Patrick is also the Special Events Director for the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck.

Roxanne Decyk is a retired international oil and gas executive and active independent director of NYSE companies and not-for-profit organizations. Before retirement, she led a portfolio of global functions for Royal Dutch Shell and served on Shell’s executive committee. She currently chairs the Governance and Nominating Committee of Maxar (a space technology company). is Chair Emeritus of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and Vice Chair of Sinai Health Systems.

Dr. Stelios Dokianakis is a full time Saugatuck resident and the owner of Holland Doctors of Audiology. With degrees in Engineering as well as Audiology, his professional interests are in the areas of tinnitus, sound sensitivities and high-frequency hearing loss technology. He serves on the State of Michigan Board of Audiology and is an officer of the American Tinnitus Association’s Board of Directors. He is passionate about animal rescue, and helping small nonprofits succeed.

Jim Hundrieser is senior vice president for consulting and business development for NACUBO. This national organization serves college and university finance officers. Jim oversees the consulting practice, builds relationships with sponsors to support NACUBO’s work, and leads a grant focused on ways institutions can strategically finance equitable student outcomes to increase completion rates of students who have historically been underserved. Jim previously served as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at three universities.

Matt Jackson is Managing Director/Partner at Lambert Edwards. He has a successful track record in public relations, earned media campaigns, cause marketing, social media activations, event promotions, advertising and brand positioning. Matt’s work includes successful product launches on behalf of brands including Chiquita®, Old Orchard Brands, Jamba®, Moose Tracks® ice cream, T.G.I. Friday’s snacks™, Seattle’s Best Coffee®, Vidalia Brands™ and others.

Carol Josefowicz has been active with various nonprofit organizations for more than 30 years both in Illinois and Michigan. She served as Board Chair for the Elmhurst Educational Foundation, Buttons and Bows Nursery School, and the Elmhurst Symphony. Carol was elected as an Alderman to the Elmhurst City Council from 1989-97. For the past 10 years, she has worked with the Fennville Elementary School on Battle of the Books, a literacy program, for 4th and 5th graders. She is also the current Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals for Ganges Township.
Patsy Ramsey is a retired accountant who spent her career in Arkansas, Texas, and Michigan with The Dow Chemical Company. Before retiring and relocating to Saugatuck in late 2013, she served as Director of External and Corporate Reporting for Dow and was a member of Financial Executives International.

Travis Randolph is the retired founder of Symbiote, located in Zeeland, Michigan. Randolph began his career with Herman Miller on the team that launched the original modular system for healthcare. At Symbiote he and his team design lab furniture for the Life Science, Tech Labs and Aerospace markets.

Jim Sellman holds a Real Estate Broker license and was formerly a Registered Social Worker in Michigan. Currently Jim serves on the Board of Children’s First Lakeshore and 4 Paws Lakeshore and a Grant Committee Member for the Allegan County Community Foundation.

Brian Stephens retired from KPMG after a 39-year career within the financial services audit practice that serves global and domestic clients world-wide. He was the National Leader of KPMG’s US Financial Services Practice and also led its US Banking and Capital Markets Practice. During his career he served as lead partner for clients such as The World Bank, HSBC, Bank One, and Mellon Bank. Brian continues to provide client related services to the KPMG firm in Singapore and Spain.

Lisa Wylie is Chief Marketing Officer for The River & Odi Hospitality Group. She has spent her career in a variety of positions within the Marketing, Culinary and Commercial Interior Design markets. Special Events and Fundraising has been Lisa’s passion; she has volunteered her time on various non-profit boards of Arts, Science, Education and Advertising in both Michigan and Indiana.

Michael Van Meter is Managing Partner of Van Meter Associates, an Iowa-based investment advisory offering individual portfolio management services to individuals and small to midmarket institutional clients.

The Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ mission is to connect people, spark conversation, and build community through a bold mix of entertaining, educational, and inspiring creative experiences.

We do this through year-round arts & cultural experiences for adults, students, and families. And, we are committed to making creative opportunities available to everyone, so we’re taking programming "on the road" in the surrounding 4-county region to schools, libraries, community festivals, and other non-profit partners.

One of the key segments of our target population is “at risk” youth (young people from economically challenged households, struggling academically, coping with language barriers, etc.). Both Allegan and Van Buren Counties continue to be designated as “underserved” in terms of availability and access to arts/creative programming by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Unfortunately, “free or reduced lunch” statistics continue to be an indicator of our county’s pervasive issues with children & financial insecurity:

• 94% Pullman elementary school
• 80% Fennville schools
• 70% South Haven schools
• 60% Allegan schools
• 36% Saugatuck schools

To ensure that ALL young people have access to creative educational opportunities, this summer and fall the SCA is taking Outreach Programming to schools, libraries, and nonprofits in Saugatuck, Fennville, and Holland that serve at-risk students.

Through creativity and the arts, the SCA creates connections, builds community, and transforms lives. An important part of our vision is making creative experiences accessible for everyone. Through the years we’ve discovered that while hosting free programming at the SCA is important, it’s absolutely essential to take programming out to other communities, meeting people where they are.

Many young people in our region are from “priority populations” (i.e., at-risk, economically challenged, students of color, underserved communities). These students often don’t have access to important creative educational programming. Nor do they have opportunities to meet professional creatives (graphic designers, writers, videographers, visual artists, actors, etc.) and learn about potential career pathways.

Our solution: Outreach Programming via the new SCA Art Truck “The WiP”. The WiP – Work in Progress – transports art supplies, tables, equipment, and exhibition materials for outreach programming at schools, libraries, and community events. It also doubles as a “pop up” gallery space displaying student artwork for the community to view.

WiP programming is offered free of charge to eliminate barriers to participation. During 2023 we anticipate serving 250 1st - 12th grade students (at schools and via afterschool programs) plus 3,000 children, families, and adults at community events. A $5,000 gift from West Shore Aware will help cover costs for:
Supplies for WiP programming at schools, libraries, and community events
The Visiting Artists who are a crucial part of WiP programming
Our Outreach Educator
Gasoline + maintenance costs

Summer + fall programming participants: Fennville Middle School, Fennville District Library, Fennville’s community celebration, Paw Paw Middle School, Saugatuck District Library, Latin Americans United for Progress (Holland teen group), and CultureWorks (Holland teen group).

SCA Outreach Educator Meg Shoup along with our Visiting Artists teach workshops and “set up the gallery” at community events. As a result, more students, families, and adults have the opportunity to meet and work with professional creatives. For students especially, exposure to a diverse range of creatives is crucial for career development. You can’t be what you don’t know exists! Meeting professional artists helps young people realize that creative careers are viable and open to them. We know employers place a high value on a diverse workforce – this is a tangible role the SCA plays in “filling the pipeline” for employers.

Outreach Summer + Fall Programming

In Progress with: Paloma Núñez-Regueiro @ Latin Americans United for Progress | April - June | Six 90-minute sessions | Student Artwork Debuted: June 9, Jump into Summer @ SCA (Paloma on site)

In Progress with: Paloma Núñez-Regueiro @ Fennville, Jefferson, and Douglas Elementary Schools | April - May | Five 60-90 minute sessions

In Progress @ Jump Into Summer celebration | FREE to the community | June 9 @ SCA | Pop-Up Gallery displaying student artwork | students in attendance to meet community members. Artist Paloma Núñez-Regueiro on site to meet the community

In Progress with: Paloma Núñez-Regueiro @ Fennville District Library | June - August | Seven 4-hour sessions | Student Artwork Debuted: August 10, Fennville Community Celebration

In Progress with: Julie Ganey @ Saugatuck District Library | July - August | Five, 3-hour sessions w/ SCA staff + Artist Julie Ganey | Student Performance: August 4

In Progress @ the Fennville Community Celebration | FREE to the community | August 10 | downtown Fennville | Pop-Up Gallery displaying student artwork | students in attendance to meet community members. Artist Paloma Núñez-Regueiro on site to meet the community.

In Progress with: Michael Belmore @ Middle Schools | October - November | Five 60-90 minute sessions | Student Artwork Debuted: October 27, Bright Night event @ the SCA. Artist Michael Belmore on site to meet the community.

A $5,000 gift from West Shore Aware would help cover a portion of the expenses for our cost-free Outreach Programming. In fact, AWARE would be part of a group of individuals and foundations investing in this crucial educational programming for our most vulnerable residents.

Our Outreach Programming happens throughout the summer and fall. We realize AWARE’s membership will consider this request in August. Our hope is to receive an AWARE grant that will reimburse some already incurred costs and help fund expenses incurred September - November.

We know how important this programming is to the students engaged in it. If we are unable to raise the entire targeted funding amount, we will maintain outreach programming (variable costs) and instead look for additional funding sources to cover fixed costs like staff salaries.

Fundraising accounts for 65% of the SCA’s annual budget. That includes individual gifts, special events, corporate gifts, foundation grants, and funding from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

The SCA is requesting $5,000 in support of Outreach Programming for students and families. An important part of our mission is making creative experiences accessible for everyone. We’ve discovered that while hosting free programming at the SCA is important, it’s essential to take programming out to other communities, meeting people where they are.

Many young people in our region are from “priority populations” (i.e., at-risk, economically challenged, students of color, underserved communities). These students often don’t have access to important creative educational programming.

To that end, we purchased an Art Truck to transport art supplies, equipment, and exhibition materials for outreach programming at schools, libraries, and community events. Our Visiting Artists lead programming, giving students opportunities to work alongside professionals and learn about creative career paths (you can’t be what you don’t know exists!).

The Art Truck also doubles as a “pop up” gallery space displaying student artwork for the community to view. At the Fennville Community Celebration, the Art Truck will be a gallery for student artwork inspired by our summer exhibition artist Paloma Núñez-Regueiro.

During summer + fall 2023, we’ll take cost-free Outreach Programming to: Fennville Middle School, Fennville District Library, Fennville’s community celebration, Paw Paw Middle School, Saugatuck District Library, Latin Americans United for Progress (teen group), and CultureWorks (teen group).

We anticipate serving 250 students plus 1,350 families, adults, and children at community celebrations.

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