PHILADELPHIA PA - As the Kimmel Cultural Campus prepares to lift its curtains for the 2021/22 season, it celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week and the teachers who've gone above and beyond in this challenging learning environment by awarding hundreds of teachers gift certificates redeemable for tickets to its lineup of live, in-person performances. Through the generosity of its donors, the Kimmel plans to award 500 gift certificates valued at $50,000 to teachers in Title 1 schools.

 

Kimmel Cultural Campus Gives 500 Teachers Gift Certificates in Celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week

"An important part of our mission is to deliver quality arts experiences to the region's young people, and we've relied on our teacher partners to help us more this year than ever. We've seen, firsthand, the miracles teachers are working in virtual classrooms while simultaneously juggling their homelife during this stressful time," said Anne Ewers, President & CEO of the Kimmel Cultural Campus. "As a nonprofit performing arts organization that relies on teacher collaboration, we hope to ignite the City's gratitude toward teachers and to show them how much they are appreciated. We are grateful for the support that we've received from donors and are honored to thank you in this way. We are eager to welcome all of these super-hero teachers to our Campus to relax and be transformed by live performance."  

Kimmel Cultural Campus is now welcoming teachers to sign up for one of 500 $100 gift certificates to use on tickets to select shows in the upcoming season. Starting today through May 31, 2021, teachers in Title One schools are invited to fill out a brief form to receive a gift certificate. For more information and full terms, please visit kimmelcenter.org. Teachers will independently select the specific tickets, seat locations, and event dates.

Despite being closed for more than a year due to COVID 19, the Kimmel Cultural Campus remains firmly committed to delivering quality arts experiences to the region's youth, transforming its education programs to be offered in the new world of the digital classroom. So far this year, Kimmel's education initiatives have exceeded expectations, reaching more than 15,000 students in Title 1 classrooms via its virtual residencies, field trips, and instructional videos.

"Teachers are the lifeblood of our schools and have been invaluable in helping us to administer the Kimmel's free arts education programming," says Susan Quinn, Director of Education of the Kimmel Cultural Campus. "As we have worked to find ways to continue our support of teachers and students during the pandemic, we've been humbled by the appreciation we've seen in return. Teachers have taken time out of their full days to reach out to us with their thanks. Now it's our turn to say, 'thank you and 'we appreciate YOU' by providing a night out to look forward to with gift certificates."

The Kimmel education programming is 100% free to schools, thanks to the generosity of donors. These education programs provide a broad performing arts experience to 4th, 5th, and 6th graders and give older students unique opportunities with higher interest levels. The Kimmel's education expansion project aims to educate, engage, and inspire 100,000 students each year in the Philadelphia area through FREE education programming on the Campus and within the community. Launched in 2018, the pilot year saw a 57% increase in total learning hours (up from the 2016/17 season) and an extraordinary 309% increase in total activities, and a 49% increase in participants.  

The Kimmel Cultural Campus education programming is made possible by generous donors, including The Aramark Charitable Fund; Chubb; The Doran Family Foundation; Patricia and David Holveck; Independence Blue Cross; The Lenfest Foundation; Merck Foundation; and M&T Bank.  

The Kimmel Cultural Campus was forced to cancel and postpone all classes and productions, concerts, and events across the Campus. Despite being closed, Kimmel identified unique ways to continue filling the community's needs by partnering with local charities on food and blood drives, serving as a polling place for the elections, and opening up as a peaceful resting place for protesters police summer. However, the negative financial impact of the pandemic has been dire, with projected losses of more than $51M in gross revenue. As a result, Kimmel has launched an aggressive Road to Reopening Relief Fundraising Campaign Contributions will allow Kimmel to survive this crisis and solidify its place anchoring the Avenue of the Arts on Broad Street. As the most impactful performing arts center in the region, and the second-largest nation, the Kimmel Cultural Campus' activity contributes significantly to the City and State's economic health. Combined, the activities of Kimmel Center, its Resident Companies, and its visitors generate a total economic impact within our 11-County region, estimated to be more than $585 million annually, supporting nearly 5,000 jobs per year. The Kimmel Cultural Campus activity alone generates more than $7.1M in city tax revenue and $6.8M in state tax revenue. The 2,000 events that happen across the Campus each year appeal to the unique spirit of this region- attracting diverse audiences and contributing to what makes Philadelphia so unique.

For more information about the Kimmel Cultural Campus, go to kimmelcenter.org.