One Region Atlanta “Ideas Challenge” Winner Uses Grant to Host 10th Annual Peeples Elementary School Parent Teacher Association Cultural Arts Week

May 11, 2015
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Fayetteville, GA – May 11, 2015 – The Peeples Elementary School (Peeples) Cultural Arts program will host its 10th annual Cultural Arts week beginning Monday, Monday 11th at the Fayetteville, Georgia, elementary school. The Peeples Cultural Arts program, an initiative of the Peeples Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA), was awarded a $4,000 grant from the One Region Atlanta Ideas Challenge, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, to host the week-long cultural immersion event which fosters creativity and cultural awareness amongst students grades K through Five. The Cultural Arts week will conclude with a festival featuring representation from over 30 countries.

Jody Leonard, a member of the Peeples PTA, was awarded second place in the 2014 IdeasChallenge, an initiative of One Region Atlanta, which is one of the many innovative, community-based programs managed by The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. Alicia Philipp, president of The Community Foundation, said, “The Community Foundation is proud to support Peeples Elementary Cultural Arts Week. The Cultural Arts Week and the International Festival is a much needed educational opportunity to teach children about diversity and inclusive communities. That’s what One Region Atlanta and the Ideas Challenge are all about – bringing together diverse cultures with all of their wonderful differences and similarities into one community.”

Jody Leonard, the award recipient, joined Philipp by adding, “The Peeples Elementary Cultural Arts Week exposes students to art forms around the globe. Each day during Cultural Arts Week, students will see a cultural performance in the cafeteria and participate in a global arts experience, where they will interact with performers and artists from all over the world. Students will hold and play instruments; experience drama workshops, have poetry jam sessions and even learn to dance the Flamenco as well as tie kimonos. This investment will shape our students’ understanding of culture, from Fayetteville to Fiji, Frankfort to Florence, this week is a great window to the world for our young people.”

On Thursday, May 14th, the week of activities will be highlighted by a performance from The 2015 Ugandan Thunder Children’s Choir. The choir, which consists of 22 Ugandan orphaned children, ages 8-16, travels the world to raise funds and awareness of hungry Ugandan childrenthrough a global service program, Pennies for Posho. The Peeples Elementary chorus will sing alongside the choir during its performance on Thursday. Peeples Elementary was able to bring the Ugandan Thunder Children’s Choir because of the fundraising done by The Peeples Cultural Ambassador Club, a service-learning club consisting of over 70 students and their families. For more information about Peeples Elementary School’s Cultural Arts Week, visit:
https://peeplesarts.weebly.com/

For more information about the Ugandan Thunder Children’s Choir and Pennies for Poscho, visit: https://www.penniesforposho.org/Uganda-Thunder-Pennies-for-Posho.html

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About the Ideas Challenge
The Ideas Challenge is a region-wide, social media based competition designed to foster innovative ideas to better the metropolitan Atlanta community. The challenge encourages residents of Greater Atlanta to create innovative solutions to critical community-based issues. In 2014, the Ideas Challenge awarded $1,500 in cash prizes to individuals and $15,000 to local nonprofits to implement the winning ideas.

About The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Since 1951, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has been connecting donors, nonprofits and community leaders to strengthen the Atlanta region through philanthropy. By connecting the passions of our donors with the purposes they strive to improve, The Community Foundation provides quality services to donors and innovative leadership on community issues. Lead by four goals: engaging philanthropists; strengthening nonprofits; advancing public will; and practicing organizational excellence, in 2014, , The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta received more than $80 million from donors (unaudited) and the Foundation distributed more than $107 million to support nonprofits throughout the 23-county region and beyond. For more information, visit: www.cfgreateratlanta.org.

For more information:
Erin Dreiling
Marketing and Communications Manager
404-588-3207
edreiling@cfgreateratlanta.org