Making An Impact

Earlier this summer, we learned that a teenager in Bedford, New Hampshire was planning a creative dance project to benefit Big Thought.  Emma Benson, who has been involved in theater and the arts for most of her life, decided to spend her summer on what she calls The Glory Project - an inspiring endeavor to raise money to support creativity and the arts in schools.

In an article in the Bedford Journal, Emma says, "It’s been a little hard for me because people haven’t taken me very seriously. I’m 15 years old, but I really put my mind to this to make it happen. When you really put your mind to it, you can really have an impact."  And Emma and her friends did have an impact - they raised nearly $500 through The Glory Project!

Increase your impact by donating to Big Thought on Get Up and Give North Texas Giving Day.  On September 15, your gift will go even further toward supporting Big Thought and the agencies we work with, allowing us to continue to provide creative instruction and hands-on learning to inspire kids to invest in their own education.  From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on September 15, any credit card donations of $25 or more made through DonorBridge will be matched.

Thank you to Emma and to all of you who believe like we do that 100% of kids deserve the opportunity to think creatively, achieve academically, make healthy choices and become productive, forward-thinking and engaged citizens!  

We’re excited to be part of One Man Dallas and Cadillac Cares Contest!

One Man Dallas is designed to encourage more men to volunteer with charitable organizations and engage in community projects that make our communities a better place to live and work. Held previously in Chicago and Minneapolis, One Man has come to Dallas to put the spotlight on men who can provide the inspiration for others to get involved.

One of our board members, Mark Melton, has been selected as Big Thought’s nominee. We are fortunate to have Mark as an advocate and supporter of Big Thought and the children we serve. Please help recognize Mark’s efforts by voting for him on the One Man Dallas website through May 19.

You can also support One Man Dallas by attending one of the free ‘Meet the Men’ happy hours:Tickets to the final event on May 19, where the winner will be announced, are available for purchase. Visit onemandallas.com for more information.

Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. at Park Place Mercedes Benz
Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at Nest on McKinney Avenue
Wednesday, May 4 at 6 p.m. at the Boardroom Salon
Thursday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at the Aloft Hotel 

Big Thought is also participating in the Cadillac Cares Contest, which runs through May 9. By ‘liking’ the Metroplex Cadillac Dealers’ Facebook page and casting a vote for Big Thought on their page, you can help us win a $50,000 advertising campaign to help us raise awareness about Big Thought’s mission. You can vote once a day every day between today and May 9!

Please share this information with your friends and encourage them to get involved! Thank you for your support as we strive to provide 100% of kids with the opportunity to think creatively, achieve academically, make healthy choices and become productive, forward-thinking and engaged citizens.

Reflections on the Conference Call with Arne Duncan

It was exciting to participate in the conference call arranged by The NAMM Foundation and the Support Music Coalition on Tuesday, August 18th, with the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

Arts education advocates have become used to hearing leadership at agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Education Partnership or Americans for the Arts speak on the value and critical need for arts education in our country. But I had to pinch myself as I listened to the United States Secretary of Education emphasize the national Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)which defines arts as a core subject, how arts play critical roles in extended day education, and also about how the arts have significant impact in the developmental and learning process for all children.

He reiterated ways that school districts can use funding from the Department of Education to support arts education in many ways. Examples are Title I funds, Title II funds, the Department’s grants for model development and dissemination – and the list goes on. Equally important are the funds that are sent to state governments to support arts education. Secretary Duncan emphasized the importance of advocating to our state agencies; support for arts education must be strong at the state and local level as well.

Big Thought was a sponsor of the second Dallas Arts Advocacy Day event just two days after that phone call with Secretary Duncan. We met and conversed with arts advocates and administrators from all over the city to discuss new and better ways to encourage our patrons and program participants to advocate for the arts in their lives. Economic impact studies done on the arts both nationally and locally make their value plain to see; it’s now up to us to use what we’ve learned to inspire others to take up the charge.

Nancy Webb
Vice President, Organizational Advancement
Big Thought

Supply, Demand & Quality

Supply, demand & quality of creative learning opportunities in the city of Dallas are the focus of much of our research and program assessment & development. We network with families, cultural providers, educators, community organizations and many other partners to determine the following:

1) Supply - what creative learning opportunities are available to the residents in each neighborhood of Dallas?
2) Demand - what creative learning opportunities are the residents in that area asking for?
and
3) Quality - what is the level of quality of the opportunities available?

The Wallace Foundation has a great collection of speeches and presentations on these and related subjects that have been gathered from a organizations nationwide, who, like us, are working to increase the quality and availability of creative learning (and arts education) throughout their cities. You'll find two of our presentations from the annual Americans for the Arts conference among the collection.

Got questions? We're happy to answer 'em - just email us to find out more about what we're learning.

Advocate for the Arts!

Arts Advocacy Day is upon us (August 20th - register here) and there are plenty of upcoming opportunities for Dallas arts advocates to get involved in! For instance, Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm has proposed combining the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs with the Department of Libraries, and the local arts community is banding together against the proposal. Here's an article on the subject that ran in last Sunday's Dallas Morning News. To find a local town hall meeting or other ways you can get involved, click here!