ArtsBusXpress Receives $25,000 from The Parker Foundation
ArtsBusXpress (ABX), which provides on-site and virtual field trip experiences for San Diego County K-12 students to scores of local arts and science venues, has received a $25,000 grant from The Parker Foundation.
The grant will be used to acquire professional staff members, according to Ted Peña, president of the board of the nonprofit.
“This is a huge milestone for us as we move forward with growing our organization from an all-volunteer organization with a working board of directors to hiring professionals for the day-to-day operations,” he said. “We are so grateful to The Parker Foundation,” he said, noting that the San Diego County-oriented foundation also provided seed money when ABX was founded in 2002.
ABX has provided more than 200,000 students “a ride to the arts and sciences” since its inception. The program is available to more than 530,000 children in the 42 school districts in San Diego County. Many of the field trips are wholly or substantially underwritten by donations to ArtsBusXpress.
“During the pandemic, the governor’s ‘stay-at-home’ order, put an end to field trips,” noted Peña. “However, with the support of several arts and science venues, ABX created a list of 60 Virtual Field Trip Xperiences, for teachers to use while traditional field trips on a bus were put on hold.
“This past year, 163 teachers received funding for more than 6,500 students across 20 school districts to bring the venue to the classroom and distance learners ‘live, interactive and personal.’ Teachers rated the program 4.8 out of 5 for excellence and feedback proved that the Virtual Field Trip Xperiences were very valuable for their students’ education. Moving forward we anticipate incorporating live and virtual field trips in our program,” he said.
ArtsBusXpress coordinates field trips with almost all the major museums and performing arts organizations in San Diego County, as well as a plethora of more under-the-radar sites such as the Julian Gold Mine, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe and the SDG&E Innovation Center.
Category: Art, Donations, Education, Entertainment, Events, Local News, Students
