Spencer Fane Pledges $50,000 to Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2017
Kansas City, Mo. – Spencer Fane LLP is making a three-year commitment to support Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA), a nonprofit whose mission is to make dance accessible to all people. Through performances and innovative arts education programs, KCFAA teaches more than 25,000 youth annually critical life skills through dance and models interracial and multicultural community partnerships.
KCFAA is the only presenter of New York’s Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II in Kansas City and is the official second home of the groundbreaking modern dance company. Spencer Fane will contribute $50,000 to KCFAA over the next three years as part of its ongoing support of arts organizations in the Kansas City area.
“The wonderfully generous support from Spencer Fane enables us to reach hundreds more area youth and support their overall health and well-being through the arts,” said Harlan Brownlee, CEO of KCFAA. “We’re very grateful to Spencer Fane for its commitment to our mission, to the arts, and to our children.”
In addition, Spencer Fane will serve as the presenting sponsor of the KCFAA Author Series, a new annual event designed to highlight artists whose work is timely and relevant to diversity, dance and the arts. Proceeds from the Author Series benefit KCFAA’s 11 educational and studio programs, including its six-week summer AileyCamp.
“KCFAA has improved the lives of countless young people and their families in our community, providing opportunities to learn the skills of creative communication, critical thinking and collaboration through dance,” said Pat Whalen, Chair of Spencer Fane. “As a firm dedicated to making a positive difference in our community, we are thrilled to be involved with KCFAA, and we want to help it thrive and remain a bright fixture in our arts community for years to come.”
The Spencer Fane and KCFAA collaboration is part of the firm’s overall Charitable Giving Program, which aims to provide significant support to select local nonprofit arts organizations through a $50,000 donation to each over the course of three years. The primary goal of the program is to encourage long-standing relationships with nonprofit organizations and provide Spencer Fane employees with additional opportunities to become involved and positively impact the community.
“By making this multi-year commitment, Spencer Fane provides our organization the opportunity to sustain our current programs and create new ways to inspire Kansas City youth,” said Godfrey Riddle, Director of Development for KCFAA. “We are excited about working with Spencer Fane to bring the arts to more people in our region.”
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About Spencer Fane
Spencer Fane is a full-service business law firm focused on providing results that move clients and their businesses forward. With direct access to firm leadership and a different approach to client engagement, its attorneys instill confidence and certainty that the clients’ interests are the firm’s priority. The firm has offices in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colo.; Overland Park, Kan.; Jefferson City, Kansas City, Cape Girardeau, Springfield and St. Louis, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Dallas, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz., and Las Vegas, Nev. For more information, visit spencerfane.com or follow @spencerfane on Twitter.
About Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey began his relationship with Kansas City in 1968, when he first brought his groundbreaking modern dance company Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) to the city for performances. As he shared his developing vision of a second home for his growing company, Kansas City community organizations, civic leaders, arts groups and financial partners responded. In 1984, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey (KCFAA) was created as the official second home to this remarkable company.
KCFAA encourages diversity of people and ideas through its organizational structure, uniting people across racial, ethnic and social barriers to promote awareness, respect, friendship, and ultimately, community-wide social change. Through performances and educational programs, KCFAA has reached more than 1 million people in the Kansas City community.
Contact: Pam Hausner | pam@kcfaa.org
