ArtsBuild has received a gift from the Nancy Lackey Community Education Fund to support the Opportunity Fellows program and the Dance Teachers in the Schools program.
In the fall of 2016, Usher established the Nancy Lackey Community Education Fund in partnership with the State Farm Neighborhood Session television documentary series and concert held at his alma mater, Dalewood Middle School. The fund was named in memory of his beloved “Nanny” who encouraged and supported his dreams to pursue a music career.
To date, over 8,000 students across Hamilton County have directly impacted by the fund which provides resources and support for the cultivation of robust experiences in the arts in area schools.
The Nancy Lackey Community Education Fund has awarded a total of more than $150,000 to ArtsBuild since 2016 for programs like ReGenerate, an arts leadership program for high school students, and the Artist in Residence program where ArtsBuild coordinates local teaching artists to go to Hamilton County elementary schools that do not have an art teacher. Currently, the Lackey Fund supports the ArtsBuild Opportunity Fellows program, which places college juniors, seniors or recent graduates in a 12-week, part-time paid work experience with a local arts organization, and the Dance in the Schools program, which facilitates dance education in Hamilton County Schools.