Mini Maestro Project receives $5,000 of Community Projects funds

Scholarships authorized for previous Art Association grant

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $5,000 of District Five Community Projects funds to Classics 4 Kids for the Mini Maestro Project at Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School.

The supervisors’ November 18 vote also amended the purpose of a previous Community Enhancement grant to the Fallbrook Art Association to allow some of the grant money to be used for scholarships to Fallbrook High School art students.

Each supervisor has a discretionary Community Projects budget which may be used for schools and non-profit organizations which provide services to county citizens and which can also be used to supplement other county funding for specific county projects, although allocation of the funds requires approval of the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Bill Horn’s recommendations did not produce opposition from any of the other county supervisors.

Classics 4 Kids focuses on increasing participation in music and the arts, stimulating creativity and imagination, and improving academic achievement through professional orchestra concerts and educational programs designed to engage and inspire young audiences.

The Community Projects grant will allow concert attendance for 125 Mary Fay Pendleton Elementary School students along with teacher training workshops, and the grant will also help cover curriculum development and supplies to support the Mini Maestro Project.

The Community Enhancement grants, which are derived from Transient Occupancy Tax revenue, are appropriated during the annual budget process in June.

The 2008-09 Community Enhancement awards included $14,500 to the Fallbrook Art Association for the spring and fall art shows, public art demonstrations, art workshops, the plein air competition, and two art festivals in Downtown Fallbrook.

While the supervisors’ November 18 action does not change the amount of the grant, it authorizes the county’s Chief Financial Officer to amend the grant agreement to allow scholarship costs for aspiring art students at Fallbrook High School.

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