Local Grants Awarded For Rehoboth

State Representative Steven S. Howitt and the Rehoboth Cultural Council are pleased to announce the award of 13 grants totaling $4,600 to support local cultural programs.

The Rehoboth Cultural Council is one arm of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils (LCC) serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities every year. The state legislature provides an annual appropriation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, which then allocates funds to each community.

Representative Howitt offered his accolades to the 2017 grant recipients. “I am pleased to join with the Rehoboth Cultural Council in offering congratulations to the new grantees selected this year. Within the Commonwealth, there are so many cultural opportunities that we have the chance to explore and enjoy. Our community’s creativity is an important asset to be appreciated, celebrated, and enjoyed. The Rehoboth Cultural Council members work hard in the decision making process. I would like to thank the members of the Council for their hard work, and we appreciate the added-value the arts brings to our communities. Congratulations to this year’s grantees. We look forward to experiencing your creativity!”

Statewide, more than $3.5 million, supporting almost 6,000 grants, will be distributed by local cultural councils in 2017. Grants will support an enormous range of grass-roots activities: concerts, exhibitions, radio and video productions, field trips for schoolchildren, after-school youth programs, writing workshops, historical preservation efforts, lectures, writing workshops,
historical preservation efforts, First Night celebrations, nature and science education programs for families, and town festivals. Nearly half of LCC funds support educational activities for young people.

Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. There are currently eight members serving on the Rehoboth Cultural Council: Catherine Allen, Sandra Delany, Gloria Lagasse, Molly Lewandowski, Desire Palmer, Susan Robert, Melissa Treichler, and Maureen Whittemore. The Rehoboth Cultural Council invites residents who have an interest in the arts, sciences, and humanities to join us in
service to the Rehoboth community. For further information, please contact Maureen Whittemore at culturalcouncil@town.rehoboth.ma.us or 508-252-5860. Talent Bank forms may be downloaded from the Town’s website under the tab, Board of Selectmen.

This year’s successful grants include:

Rehoboth Council on Aging: Art Class $250 and Piano Performance $200
SMARTS Collaborative: Student Art Touring Exhibit $100
Kathleen Amaral Music on Redway Plain $300
Blanding Public Library Boston Children’s Museum Pass $450
Beckwith Middle School Field Trip $500
Arts in the Village Sarasa Concert $300
Arts in the Village Chler and Vitkauskaite $300
Delvena Theatre Company Meet Julia Child $500
DR High School Latin Class Field Trip $500
Carpenter Museum Strawberry Festival $500
Rehoboth Minute Men Patriots Day Colonial Program $400
Julie Stepanek Learn Ukele with Julie $300

The Rehoboth Cultural Council will seek grant applications again in the fall. Information and forms are available at www.mass-culture.org/rehoboth. Applications will be accepted beginning Friday, September 1, 2017 through Monday, October16, 2017. We look forward to hearing from you!