Employees at HOK Raise over $11,000 for the Arts | St. Louis Front Page News Today

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Employees at HOK Raise over $11,000 for the Arts
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), September 17, 2012 - The Arts and Education Council had announced that employees of HOK raised over $11,000 to support St. Louis-area arts and arts education organizations through its 2012 Workplace Giving Campaign.

Downtown St. Louis-based HOK, a global architectural firm that provides planning and design solutions for high performance, sustainable buildings and communities, has conducted a Workplace Giving Campaign on behalf of the Arts and Education Council for over 16 years.

Led by Campaign Coordinator Afton Mooney, the week-long campaign kicked off on June 7 and featured presentations and displays from A&E grantees including Circus Flora, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Stages St. Louis, Laumeier Sculpture Park and the Center of Creative Arts (COCA). HOK staffers planned creative activities to encourage donations that included a silent auction; a film festival spearheaded by Cliff Froehlich, executive director of Cinema St. Louis; and a special performance by Joe Fingerhut, a local magician/entertainer who has traveled the world sharing his many talents.

"We appreciate the very generous support that HOK has provided to the arts over the years," said Cynthia A. Prost, A&E president. "It's gratifying to see how their employees come together, collaborate and create excitement for their annual campaign, which generated a 20% increase in donations this year."

The Arts and Education Council has been a leader in the local arts scene since it was founded in 1963. In the past 49 years A&E has raised and distributed more than $100 million to arts and arts education organizations throughout the 16-county, bi-state St. Louis metropolitan region. Each year, Arts and Education Council grants help provide millions of experiences in music, theater, dance, film, literary arts, visual arts and outreach programs for children and adults living in urban, suburban and rural areas. Many A&E-supported programs operate in underserved communities and serve at-risk youth.

Revenue generated from Workplace Giving Campaigns accounts for one-third of A&smp;E's budget and supports established institutions such as the St. Louis Symphony, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Sheldon Arts Foundation as well as community-based groups such as Metro Theater Company, African Musical Arts and Springboard. The Arts and Education Council also partners with local corporations in named grant opportunities that provide specific funding. These partnerships include the Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers, the Boeing Arts and Education Collaborative Grant Program, the Monsanto Rural Community Arts Education Program and the PNC Foundation Project Grant Program.

Essence Healthcare, Lumeris donate 15,000 school supplies to Push for Pencils
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), September 17, 2012 - Essence Healthcare and Lumeris employees collected 15,307 school supplies and $770 in cash donations for the annual KidSmart Push for Pencils school supply drive this summer - smashing the companies' previous donation record of 2,435 items and placing it among the top drives in the St. Louis metropolitan area this year.

KidSmart's annual community-wide campaign collects basic school supplies, then distributes them to the region's 90,000 schoolchildren in need through a free supply store. The store stocks tools for learning like notepaper, pencils, markers, crayons and glue. The organization also accepts cash donations to provide additional supplies and educational resources.

"A commitment to education is vital to a thriving community," said Paul Hott, vice president of Human Resources at Essence and Lumeris. "We are proud to support an organization that does such important work to enrich the lives of St. Louis children, and of our employees for their generous donations."

KidSmart increased its donation goal to 800,000 items in 2012, up from 420,000 last year, in order to reach more of the area's schoolchildren in need of supplies. "We asked participants to increase their drives by 20% this year - and [Essence and Lumeris] blew that one away" with an increase of more than 525%, Dowell said. "That's absolutely amazing, too."

This is the third year Essence Healthcare and Lumeris have collected supplies for Push for Pencils. With this year's drive, the companies have donated a total of 20,384 items to the organization.

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