The Arts and Education Council (A&E), one of the nation’s oldest united arts funds, announced today that Ameren Corporation and its employees contributed nearly $160,000 to A&E in 2017. With this contribution, Ameren’s cumulative historical giving to A&E now surpasses $7 million over the past 52 years.
“Ameren's mission is to power the quality of life for millions of people, so it’s fitting we support an organization that shares our commitment to creating vibrant communities throughout the Missouri and Illinois areas in which Ameren co-workers and customers live, learn, work and play," said Shawn Schukar, Ameren Transmission Company chairman and president and A&E board member. "We appreciate all that the Arts and Education Council offers in enriching and positively shaping the culture of the St. Louis community.”
Nearly $120,000 of the 2017 contribution came through Ameren’s Workplace Giving Campaign, which was led by associates Roxanne Adams and Randi Vette. More than 1,000 employees contributed to the campaign. The corporation made an additional $40,000 commitment to A&E with a $25,000 corporate gift to the annual campaign and a $15,000 commitment to serve as the official Gift Sponsor of the 2018 St. Louis Arts Awards.
For more than 50 years, Ameren and the Arts and Education Council have forged a strong partnership in securing the vibrancy of the St. Louis community through strengthening and growing St. Louis’ arts and culture industry. Ameren made its first corporate investment in A&E in 1965 – just two years after A&E’s founding. Ameren associates quickly joined the company’s commitment to the arts, hosting their inaugural A&E Workplace Giving Campaign in 1967.
“Ameren and its employees embrace the importance of the arts and arts education to transform lives, spark creativity, foster innovation and make St. Louis a vibrant community for all,” says A&E President and CEO, Cynthia A. Prost. “A&E is proud to partner for more than 50 years with such an exemplary corporate citizen that recognizes when the arts thrive, our city and region thrive.”
For more information about A&E Workplace Giving Campaigns, visit KeepArtHappening.org/workplace-giving.
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About the Arts and Education Council: When the Arts Thrive, Our City Thrives. – The Arts and Education Council (A&E), is the St. Louis region's United Arts Fund providing financial, technical and educational support for arts organizations. A&E’s mission is to build appreciation, participation and support for arts and arts education throughout the St. Louis community. A&E is the only privately funded arts umbrella organization that serves the 16-county, bi-state St. Louis region. A&E builds a thriving arts community and impacts millions of people through multi-faceted programs, including: Operating and Project Grants; Arts Education Grants for Teachers; Arts Incubation at the Centene Center for the Arts; a Catalyst Innovation Lab; a stARTup Competition for Arts Entrepreneurs; stARTup-StL Crowdfunding Platform; Arts Leadership Management Academy (ALMA); Executive Directors Roundtable; Arts Marketers Professional Development; the Annual St. Louis Arts Awards; and Young Friends of the Arts.
Since its inception in 1963, the Arts and Education Council has raised and distributed more than $100 million in private funding for the arts – a significant contribution that directly impacts the quality of life in our region. A&E meets all 20 Better Business Bureau Charity Standards and has earned the Wise Giving Seal of Approval, a three-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Guidestar Exchange Silver Participant rating.
How to find us – Website: KeepArtHappening.org Phone: 314.289.4000. Facebook: ArtsandEducation Twitter: @ArtEdSTL YouTube: ArtsandEducSTL Instagram: Arts_Education_Council
About Ameren Corporation – St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric distribution and transmission service, as well as natural gas distribution service, while Ameren Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with generating capacity of over 10,200 megawatts, and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric transmission projects. Follow the company on Twitter @AmerenCorp. For more information, visit Ameren.com.