To all of our wine lovers out there, here’s a wine you can drink and know that it’s doing good in the community. This fall, you can support arts education programs nationwide in K-12 public schools as you enjoy KRIS, one of America’s most popular Italian wines. KRIS and Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, are partnering again for the sixth annual “Art of Education” program. KRIS will award 16 schools in the United States a total of $25,000 in grants to improve academic achievement through quality arts education. This year’s campaign runs from now to October 31, 2015.
Consumers, parents and educators determine grant winners by voting for their favorite K-12 public school atkriswine.com/vote. When the program concludes on October 31, the school with the largest number of votes will be awarded $5,000. The next five schools with the top number of votes will receive $2,000. Schools that rank seventh through 16th in total number of votes will receive $1,000.
“It is an honor to support arts education in our public schools and we are excited that the KRIS Art of Education campaign gets entire communities involved in helping their schools’ arts education programs,” said Ian Downey, senior vice president and general manager of Leonardo LoCascio Selections, a member of The Winebow Group. “We are thrilled with the success of this campaign and it continues to be a highlight for our company every year.”
For the past six years KRIS Wine and the Art of Education campaign has supported K-12 public schools across the country by awarding over $300,000 in grants to classrooms in need of art supplies and instructors. In 2014, sixteen schools from across the U.S. were awarded grants, with top winners in Shoreline, Washington;Waukegan, IL; Monmouth Junction, NJ; Merrimack, NH; Milwaukee, WI; and Manchester, NH.
“Students who engage in arts programs are proven to be overall more successful academically, exhibit better school attendance, and achieve higher grades in all subjects,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “School leaders and business leaders agree that art education leads to creativity—a key trait in America’s 21st century workers. We are grateful to have a partner such as KRIS Wine that understands the important role that art plays in our lives and the welfare of our communities.”
Supporting arts education programs is extremely important to KRIS. Art is a guiding principle behind KRIS Pinot Grigio as articulated in the brand’s slogan, “Discover the Art of Wine.” The timeless and inspiring KRIS label emphasizes the role of the sun in ripening the grapes to perfection and the human hand in crafting the wine. Artist Riccardo Schweizer, a native of Alto Adige, studied cubism in Paris under Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, and gave his original paintings to the winery.
To learn more about this amazing initiative and how you can get your school in the running visit www.americansforthearts.org.
