PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2012--
Princeton-based electricity company NRG Energy, Inc., a longtime
supporter of Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania, has
donated $74,500 to create the NRG Energy Creatively Green Awards, a
competitive award program to bring arts-based sustainability education
to hundreds of schoolchildren and their families.
The awards kicked off late last month with the Creatively Green Family
Arts Festival, the pilot event held at George E. Wilson Elementary
School in Hamilton, NJ. The successful event featured an exciting
evening of hands-on art making workshops for about 300 attendees,
highlighted with an educational musical comedy performance by Billy B.
the Science Song & Dance Man. Four additional festivals will be awarded
during the 2012-2013 school year to individual schools or school
districts through a competitive process.
"Young Audiences is always looking for strategic partners who believe,
as we do, that the arts are a powerful tool for learning," said Larry
Capo, President & CEO of Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern
Pennsylvania. "NRG has given us a great opportunity to link art-making
with protecting our planet's environment. Their funding is allowing
Young Audiences to produce a series of five family arts festivals that
brings together children, parents, educators and artists focusing on
what each of us personally and collectively can do to preserve our
planet. Thanks to NRG's support, everyone left the event with a renewed
sense of personal responsibility to make the world a better place."
Young Audiences is a regional organization dedicated to bringing the
arts to children in the New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania area by
fostering an arts-rich school curriculum. The NRG Creatively Green
Awards were created to put on events that incorporate family involvement
and fun, creative education on the science of sustainability. In
addition to funding the program, NRG employees will also volunteer their
time helping at the events.
“Through the NRG Creatively Green Awards, hundreds of schoolchildren and
their families will enjoy arts and educational events that use creative
ideas to help kids learn about living a more sustainable and
environmentally friendly lifestyle,” said Jennifer Brunelle, head of NRG
Global Giving. “NRG is proud to partner with the dedicated and visionary
staff of Young Audiences to create an original program that will touch
every school in the region.”
Maureen Heffernan, Director of Arts and Education at Young Audiences
said, "It was a joy for everyone to see parents and children working
side by side as they learn about sustainability and experience the fun
of making art together."
Schools and districts selected in the NRG Creatively Green Awards will
host an engaging and dynamic community festival for parents, children
and teachers, and provide communities an opportunity to engage in
hands-on art-making that raises awareness of environmental
sustainability. Festivals can serve up to 500 attendees and can take
place on a weekday evening or on a Saturday, lasting two to three hours.
For schools interested in winning a NRG Creatively Green Family Arts
Festival worth up to $10,000, please visit www.yanj-yaep.org
to apply. Application deadline is Thursday, December 20, 2012.
About Young Audiences
Founded in 1973, Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania is
the premiere arts-in-education resource in the region, providing
high-quality performances and artist-in-residence programs to nearly
500,000 children pre-kindergarten through 12th grade annually. Young
Audiences’ extensive professional artist roster represents all art
forms—from dance and theater to music, language and visual arts.
The Young Audiences program, Arts for Learning, brings arts-based
literacy programs to elementary school teachers, helping them improve
student reading and writing. This arts-integrated approach helps
students learn literacy concepts and skills using dance, music, theater
and visual arts as teaching tools. Young Audiences’ programs are
accessible to all socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and geographic
communities, and are designed to strengthen the arts in schools, meet
local and state curriculum standards, involve families in arts
activities, and enrich cultural life in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
communities.
Young Audiences New Jersey & Pennsylvania is the first arts education
organization designated as a major service organization by the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts, and, as part of the national network
of Young Audiences, Inc. was awarded the National Medal of Arts by
President Clinton. Projects like this and the 4,000 programs provided
annually by Young Audiences are made possible in part through a grant
from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and
Pennsylvania Council of the Arts. Additional funds come from the
National Endowment for the Arts, foundations, corporations and generous
individuals. To learn more, visit www.yanj-yaep.org.
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About NRG
NRG is at the forefront of changing how people think about and use
energy. A Fortune 300 company, NRG is a pioneer in developing cleaner
and smarter energy choices for our customers: whether as one of the
largest solar power developers in the country, or by building the first
privately funded electric vehicle charging infrastructure or by giving
customers the latest smart energy solutions to better manage their
energy use. Our diverse power generating facilities can support more
than 20 million homes and our retail electricity providers – Reliant,
Green Mountain Energy Company and Energy Plus – serve more than two
million customers. More information is available at www.nrgenergy.com.
Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.
Source: NRG Energy, Inc.
Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania
Denyce
Mylson, 609-243-9000, x202
dmylson@yanj.org
or
NRG
Energy
Michelle Tsai, 609-524-5324