The Emerald Coast Theatre Company‘s performance of “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” for Okaloosa and Walton County students represents the first in a series of theater field trips planned for the 2024-2025 school year.
- A $3,500 grant from Florida Power & Light Company’s NextEra Energy Foundation will help fund ticket costs for students from Title 1 schools.
Three hundred students attended the performance at the theater. According to ECTC, the organization provided theater experiences to more than 1,600 students last year.
“We are thankful for the NextEra Energy Foundation grant, as it allows us to invite Title 1 schools from DeFuniak Springs, giving children from lower socio-economic backgrounds an opportunity,” said Nathanael Fisher, ECTC’s producing artistic director.
Three other Okaloosa organizations also received substantial support.
The Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation secured $10,000 to launch “Building Math Skills,” an innovative program using construction-based activities to improve math literacy among struggling fifth graders at Elliott Point Elementary.
A Bed 4 Me Foundation, which has provided beds and bedding to over 2,800 disadvantaged children since 2018, received $2,500. The funds will furnish 41 children with complete bed sets, including twin-sized beds, sheets, pillowcases, comforters and pillows.
The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation was awarded $5,000 for its ArtsReach program, providing art education and therapeutic sessions to underserved communities, including veterans and people with disabilities.
J.T. Young, FPL Vice President and General Manager of the Northwest region, addressed the grants’ community impact. “By helping to provide access to the performing arts for students from underserved communities, we are contributing to their educational and personal growth,” Young said. “We are honored to be a part of this initiative that brings joy and inspiration to so many young minds.”
- The grants represent the second of three funding rounds FPL’s Northwest region will award this year, supporting nonprofits focused on education, food insecurity, senior citizen support and child advocacy.
