Community welcomes Arts and Education Group to Northwood

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - June 11, 2013 - PRLog -- (West Palm Beach, FL)  Even though it was raining outside, it was all sunshine and smiles inside at the recent grand opening for the Center for Creative Education (CCE).  Well known for their community outreach incorporating arts integration into classrooms all over Palm Beach County, the not-for-profit CCE will soon be known for their in-house programming as well, as they recently celebrated moving into a home of their own.  

“We are so excited about being able to expand upon our mission and touch the lives of more students in our community,” said Robert Hamon, CEO for the Center for Creative Education.  “Having a building to call our own now allows us to create more opportunities for children to be exposed to arts integration programming.”

With enough scissors to go around for all, West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, Palm Beach County Commissioners Priscilla Taylor and Paulette Burdick, City Commissioners Sylvia Moffett and Keith James, along with CCE Board Chair, Pamela Miller, and CEO, Robert Hamon all took a snip at the ribbon to signify the opening of the building.  “We are truly grateful to the people who helped us get to this exciting point,” said Hamon.    

The Center is a magnificent example of a public/private partnership as the five million dollars that has gone into the purchase and renovation of the building was generated by donations from private donors, chief among them long-time CCE supporters Kenn Karakul and James Held, and two governmental bodies.  The Palm Beach County Commission awarded the Center a $550,000 grant.  The West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Association contributed $110,000 to complete exterior renovations to the building and tear down an abandoned gas station next door.  Comcast then made CCE a recipient of their “Comcast Cares Day” and hundreds of volunteers came in and planted a greenspace.

Located in West Palm Beach’s historic Northwood Village, the Center now serves as the hub for a rejuvenated arts district.  In her address to CCE supporters, board members and the local community, Mayor Jeri Muoio stated, “The building is fabulous.  I am so happy it is open here in Northwood Village.  We know the impact that [CCE] has on children.”  With a hands-on education background, including a doctorate in Education Leadership, Mayor Muoio emphasized that arts integration is, “such an incredible way to teach kids and most importantly, it works.”

Arts integration enlivens education by using the arts, such as painting, singing, writing and more to reinforce core subjects like math, science and language arts.  It encourages creative thinking by allowing kids to use their imaginations and reinforces life skills like cooperation and compromise as children work together on projects.

With children at the heart of its mission, the Open House featured a display of children’s artwork in the Marjorie S. Fisher Gallery that was created through CCE programs.  In the Rehearsal Hall, students from Boynton Beach-based Freedom Shores Elementary shared their experiences as recent graduates of the “Manatee Insanity” program, in which CCE artists collaborated with classroom teachers to blend art with science, reading and math.  In addition, children from a CCE afterschool program at Coleman Park Community Center treated supporters to a special hip-hop dance number and served as the opening act for the ribbon cutting ceremony.  CCE teaching artists also worked with guests to create on-the-spot projects in painting, quilting and clay.

To date, the Center for Creative Education has invested approximately $5 million in the building’s purchase and improvements, thanks to private philanthropy and grants raised for its capital campaign.  The organization is now working to raise $250,000 so that they can continue to Phase II construction this summer and be ready to go with extra classrooms by fall.  Phase II will finish out four more classrooms (including a science lab and a computer lab) and a large public restroom.

In 2012-2013 CCE will serve 12,750 children in nearly 70 sites all over Palm Beach County.  Programming at the Center is scheduled to begin next fall.  For more information about the CCE capital campaign, or programming, please visit www.cceflorida.org or call (561) 805-9927.