This #WhyIGive Wednesday, P.S. ARTS supporter (and former Development & Communications Associate) Megan Strawther shares why she invested in the future of public school arts education with a gift to the P.S. ARTS Endowment.
A message from Megan Strawther . . .
January 3rd, 2011, was my very first day as the Advancement & Operations Assistant at P.S. ARTS. It was my first “big girl” job out of college, and I was both nervous and thrilled to be joining a team of people that worked hard to level the playing field and create opportunities for children in California’s underserved public schools. Education had played such a pivotal role in my life, and I was honored to be working for a nonprofit like P.S. ARTS that sought to make educational experiences more engaging and equitable for everyone.
For nearly four years, I got to see our programs in action. I saw kids express themselves through beautiful art projects, I saw Teaching Artists inspire their students to achieve more, and I saw parents beam with pride because their child had garnered the confidence to perform a musical number in front of a packed auditorium. More than that, I got to see all of the extraordinary work happening behind the scenes to ensure that these children, schools, and communities received the arts education and cultural experiences they deserved. From managing various stakeholders that were integral to our organization’s success and coordinating fundraising events to support our services to fostering an office culture where our staff was encouraged to learn and grow together, it was always the operations of P.S. ARTS that impressed me most. It was here that I learned how important it is to have a strong organizational infrastructure – both in terms of processes set in place and having an army of dedicated individuals passionate about the cause – in order to have the greatest impact on those you serve.
My work at P.S. ARTS is what inspired me to pursue my current studies in social entrepreneurship at the USC Marshall School of Business. My time working in administration, fundraising, and marketing at P.S. ARTS has given me a solid foundation from which to understand how institutions can be most effective. Not only is P.S. ARTS an exemplar model for arts education, it is also an exemplar model for how to run a nonprofit organization that provides crucial services in the community. I would not be where I am today, and motivated by the possibility of what we can accomplish together, were it not for this organization.
This is #WhyIGive to P.S. ARTS. 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.
#InvestInInnovation at psarts.org/endowment
