Thea Foundation donates to LRSD

The Thea Foundation of North Little Rock is contributing about $30,000 in art supplies to the Little Rock School District for some 2,750 elementary pupils who are enrolled in virtual learning for the coming school year.

The at-home supplies packets for each student will include items such as crayons, markers, watercolor sets, construction paper, colored pencils, scissors, glue and drawing paper.

“We know our state’s educators are under immense pressure to adapt curriculum for remote learning this school year,” said Thea Foundation Executive Director Nick Leopoulos. “We’re proud to help equip thousands of K-5 students to continue their creative learning safely at home.”

Superintendent Mike Poore thanked the foundation for its longtime support of students.

“We know that the arts provide a wide range of academic and social benefits, so naturally, exposure to the arts helps to ensure that our students become well-rounded, confident individuals,” he said.

Thea’s Art Closet program will fund another $100,000 in supplies and materials during the coming 2020-21 school year for teachers statewide. Public school teachers can submit individual project requests for needed supplies up to four times per year through DonorsChoose, an online giving platform, making the arts accessible for students in high-poverty areas and classrooms with little-to-no budgets. DonorsChoose has adapted its service to provide teachers with the option for supplies to be delivered to non-school addresses, including individual student homes.

More information, including how to donate to the Thea Foundation, is available at theafoundation.org/donate or by contacting Jennifer Owens Buie at jennifer@theafoundation.org or by phone at (501) 951-0374.