With a desire to support the rural Oregon community of Burns after a difficult period during the occupation of the nearby Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the Keeping the Arts Board of Directors approved a $2,000 grant to support the band and choir program at Burns High School.

The funds came from the pool of grant money raised at the 2015 Portland Creative Conference. Several other grants have already been distributed since the last Portland Creative Conference.  This brings the total grant distribution from Keeping the Arts to various K-12 arts education programs in Oregon to more than $85,000.  For more information read today’s press release.

The grant from Keeping the Arts means a lot to my band and choir students.  Because of this support we can now cover the expenses needed to get to our district band festival and also take our choir on a field trip in May that would otherwise not have happened. I see these events as part of the healing process the kids are going through after a difficult couple of months in our community related to the refuge occupation.

Kyle Ruggles, director of the Burns High School band and choir

The next Portland Creative Conference takes place on September 23, 2016 in the Gerding Theater at the Armory.  For more details visit http://cre8con.com