RALEIGH – Wake Education Partnership today announced a grant from Target for sponsorship of its 2007 performance of Pieces of Gold. The 24th annual Pieces of Gold performing arts extravaganza, produced jointly with the Wake County Public School System, will feature more than 800 visual and performing arts students at Memorial Auditorium on March 7 at 7 p.m..
“Arts enhance our lives with meaning and energy and bring a colorful, visual and audio dimension to our children’s education. We are pleased to partner with Target to sponsor this event,” said Diane Mullins, Pieces of Gold committee member since 1994 and honorary committee chair for the 2007 show.
This sponsorship is part of the ongoing support Target provides to local communities throughout the country. Every week Target gives more than $2 million to strengthen families and communities across the nation, with a focus on education, the arts, social services and other vital community partnerships.
“At Target, we are making a real difference every day through our sponsorship program,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with Wake Education Partnership as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”
Additionally, Target also gives back through signature programs that are designed to inspire learning in children and families. Programs include:
• Take Charge of Education®, a school fundraising program;
• Ready. Sit. Read!, a program dedicated to fostering a life-long love of reading in children;
• Start Something®, a partnership between Target and the Tiger Woods Foundation, which helps kids build core values;
• Target House, which serves as a home-away-from-home for families of children receiving life-saving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis; and
• Target Volunteers, team members and retirees who annually donate more than 315,000 hours of time to more than 7,000 community-based projects
Tickets for Pieces of Gold are available at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts box office and through Ticketmaster. For more information about the show and how to buy tickets, visit www.WakeEdPartnership.org.
About Wake Education Partnership
Wake Ed is an advocacy organization dedicated to making world-class schools possible in Wake County through business and community involvement. We play a critical role in bringing people together, raising the level of discussion through capacity building, and brokering information and relationships around key issues in public education. Programs for 2006-07 focus on retaining effective teachers, developing effective education leaders, and ensuring healthy schools for all students. For more information, please visitwww.WakeEdPartnership.org.
About Target
Target gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs. Additionally, Target team members and retirees donate more than 315,000 hours to more than 7,000 projects each year.
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