I want to avidly support an organization that gives opportunities to children to cultivate creativity in the best way possible.

The arts are such an integral part of a child’s life — transformative, therapeutic, and joyful.

The students were happy and always actively engaged in their learning; talking, sharing, and collaborating...I knew the students only had those opportunities due to our amazing partnership with P.S. ARTS.

Instead of overextending classroom teachers and neglecting students’ needs for a creative outlet, why not share the responsibility and rely on community partners for support? This is exactly what P.S. ARTS enables schools and teachers to do.

I am confident that my investment will support the long-term growth of this organization and that my donation will have a lasting impact on the 25,000 children it provides arts education to every single day. I am so proud to have called P.S. ARTS my home for so many years, and I am grateful that organizations like P.S. ARTS exist to lend hope and opportunities to our next generation of changemakers.

I chose to support the P.S. ARTS Endowment because I believe that arts programs are an essential part of public education as they help all kids, especially those who might not fit the typical mold, find their niche. Having raised two very different sons — one involved in the performing arts and the other in baseball, basketball, and football — I was thankful that our school district offered diverse programming to meet the needs of each of my kids.

One year, a P.S. ARTS student presented a Teaching Artist with a jar filled with coins to help support the program’s costs. The gesture was big for a young person, and it made an even bigger impact on me and my colleagues. It reminded me that we all have something to give to what is important and impactful in our lives.

We wanted to give a sustainable gift to an organization that is doing such important work. Arts education is not a luxury; it is essential.