Meryl Streep Makes Second Major Donation to Central Falls School
Friday, July 20, 2012
Renowned Oscar-winner Meryl Streep makes another major donation to Central Falls' Segue Institute for Learning--5,000 books. Photo: PhotoTakeReality
The story begins at Carnegie Hall. Early this summer, Streep gave a special address at the celebrated performance space to the talented and ambitious teens who achieved national honors in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - the most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for young artists and writers with an 89-year legacy of being the first to recognize the creative talent in teens such as Robert Redford, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Ken Burns, and Zac Posen. More than 800 students and their families and teachers, representing 46 states, attended the celebration, including 15 graduating seniors who received Portfolio Gold Medals and $10,000 scholarships.
Streep chooses Segue
In appreciation for Streep’s participation in the event, Scholastic Inc. and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit which administers the Awards, offered to donate 5,000 new books to the organization of her choice. Streep chose The Segue Institute for Learning, the charter school which serves students in grades 6th to 8th from Central Falls. The school was founded and created as part of an on-going neighborhood
“This generous donation means that every student will always have a book in their hands,” said Angelo Garcia, Head of School and Founder of Segue Institute for Learning. “We plan to share the wealth by lending these books to fellow charter schools and encouraging shared reading at home for families.”
“This gift of books I hope will make accessible to every kid the possibility of fun and inspiration in reading and learning," said Streep.
This is not the first time Streep has demonstrated generous support for Segue. A donation of $10,000 came after she had a talk with fellow actor and Central Falls native Viola Davis. Davis mentioned that the school was in dire need of a new building. Davis has said The Segue Institute is close to her heart, and gave a shout-out to the school after winning a Screen Actors Guild Award.
A critical time for Segue, the school is currently in discussions to purchase the building where it is now located. The school is also up for renewal of its charter this year.
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The second of two major gifts
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