On January 25th 2012, Target Corporation announced the 50 nationwide recipients who would be receiving $100,000 grants in order to improve their learning environments and to purchase much needed resources to keep their programs continuing. Since 1946, Target Corporation has given 5 percent of all its income to communities around the nation in need of a helping hand to insure various scholastic programs continue. From November 25th 2011 through January 4th 2012, viewers of The Ellen DeGeneresShow were invited to submit the name of a school in need along with a compelling story explaining why they felt the designated school should receive a grant from Target.
Local San Diego school, Freese Elementary Arts and Magnet School, was fortunate enough to be one of the chosen schools for this generous grant. Nominated by current faculty teacher, Mary Pat Hutt, Freese Elementary, specializing in arts education, was granted $100,000 from the Target grant to aide in providing its diverse, gifted, and bright student body with the opportunity to continue in its Art and Culture Program and Scholastic Reading Counts independent reading program. The grant will allow the school to purchase new books for their independent reading program, as well as keeping its rich music, dance, theater and visual arts programs alive, which previously had been in danger of being eliminated due to recent budget cuts. Thanks to the Target grant these programs will be sustained and enhanced.
