The Nebraska Arts Council has announced three grant awards totaling $4,862 to People United for Families d/b/a Partners for Otoe County to provide artistic opportunities for Otoe County youth, including:

• Summer Art Camps taking place at the Kimmel-Nelson-Harding Center for the Arts in Nebraska City July 16-20 and at the Unadilla Community Center July 30-August 2. Sara Martin of Lincoln, NE is the visiting artist for the 2012 Summer Art Camps. Sessions for students in grades 1-3 take place in the mornings and an afternoon session is being held for students in grades 4-7. Students will complete a different project each day of the week and display their work for family and friends on the last day of camp.   Group projects will be displayed at the Morton-James Public Library in September. It is projected that 80 students will participate. There are still openings for the sessions at Unadilla and people can register online at www.p4oc.org or by calling 402-873-6343.

• Arts-Related After School Clubs will be offered for students at Nebraska City Middle School and Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Middle School during the 2012-2013 school year.   Grant funds will be used to bring one visiting artist to each middle school each quarter, providing students with the opportunity to participate in a Glass Club, Pottery Club, Dance Club, and Theater Arts Club over the course of the school year.  Participating students will also be able to exhibit their visual art projects at the Kimmel-Nelson-Harding Center for the Arts in December and share performing arts with friends, family members and senior citizens in the community during second semester.  Students may access this project through their participating middle schools when school begins.  Approximately 120 Otoe County youth are expected to participate in the project.  Matching funds for the project are being provided by The Steinhart Foundation.

The Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency, is supporting these projects through matching funds grants programs funded by the Nebraska Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. The Nebraska Arts Council mission is to promote, cultivate and sustain the arts for the people of Nebraska. Visit www.nebraskaartscouncil.org for more information on how the Nebraska Arts Council can assist your organization.

Fourth to 7th grade students participating in 2012 Summer Art Camp are pictured above with visiting artist Sara Martin (1st row, right).

Founded in 1987, Partners for Otoe County (P4OC), a registered trade name for People United For Families, is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a healthy community where every child and family thrives. P4OC provides direct services to more than 1,200 local children and families annually with the assistance of many dedicated partners, volunteers and donors. More information is available www.p4oc.org.