Center Place Grant Falls Short

Area businesses and organizations looking to sponsor a free night of live theater for children from lower-income families have no further to look than Center Place.

Officials there have a need waiting to be filled.

Earlier this year a grant application asking for $15,000 to fund 15 free theater shows for public school students attending Title 1 elementary schools proved successful – but only in part -- as it allows for 10 shows attracting up to 325 students each.

That leaves up to five shows officials had hoped to stage to accommodate the growing need for free and affordable arts programming for children in need, whose numbers have been growing in today's trying economic times.

A school is designated a Title 1 school under federal funding guidelines if at least 40 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. 

Center Place officials in October learned that they had received a $9,758 grant. The award from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County fell roughly $5,000 short of its mark.

"If we got other sponsors, a business or a company, who wanted to give Center Place the $1,000 it costs to produce each show then we could offer more free shows for more students," said Center Place's executive director, Dawn Galia.

Galia, though, is not complaining, noting that early on in the grant process arts organizations such as hers had been told there might be no money available for any programming, let alone a scaled-down initiative.

"We weren't sure if anyone was going to get funded because we had to wait for the city of Tampa to complete its budget to see how much they were going to apply to the arts," Galia said. She added that arts supporters lobbied city officials and Hillsborough County commissioners to ensure that at least some funding would come through for the organizations seeking grants.

"We were pleasantly surprised," Galia said, "to get any money at all."

Often referred to as Greater Brandon's "best-kept secret," the Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association has nevertheless been in operation for more than 30 years. Its mission from the start has been to promote both the arts and civic involvement with a centralized venue that draws people of all ages to art classes, theater performances, community meetings, and to a space available for event rentals.

Figures for the latest fiscal year, which for Center Place ended in February 2010, show that more than 53,596 children and adults attended the center for art classes, children's theater, community theater, art exhibits, meetings and other event rentals and to visit the Pat's Corner gift shop.

Children's theater alone brought in 15,744 attendees, including general admission shows for which tickets are sold.

In the same time period, Center Place offered 800 art classes for kids and adults, staged 51 theatrical performances, granted 54 youth scholarships for children's art programs and hosted 12 exhibits featuring local artists.

For information about Center Place offerings or to sponsor a show, call Galia at 685-8888.