Flagler County, Fla. (April 1, 2024) – The Flagler County Cultural Council is proud to announce the creation of five scholarship awards for graduating high school seniors from the Flagler County school district, each in the amount of $5,000 for students with a career path in the arts.

Through a grant submitted by the Flagler County Cultural Council, The John W. Kurtich Foundation has awarded the Flagler County Education Foundation $50,000 for student scholarships; half to be distributed in 2024 and the other half in 2025. The John W. Kurtich Foundation honors the legacy of its namesake by awarding scholarships to students in artistic disciplines of music, theatre, architecture, and visual arts.  The Kurtich Foundation also funded “Winged Victory” placed in front of the Kim C. Hammond Justice Center on the public art Turtle Trail.

A check for $25,000 was presented to Teresa Rizzo of the Flagler County Education Foundation on March 27 by Nancy Crouch, Co-Chair of the Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3).

“The Flagler County Cultural Council is excited to partner with the Flagler County Education Foundation in serving the students in our community,” said Crouch. “FC3 will award $5,000 each to five graduating students with a desire to continue their educational path in any of the broad range of performance, music, art and culture, and culinary arts; courses they have come to appreciate during their high school experience.

Through relationships with other granting organizations such as the John W. Kurtich Foundation, financial resources for students seeking a career path in the arts are particularly important as they pursue their dream.  Music, theatre, dance, set design, architecture, digital media, and the humanities, all play an important role in our society and we are pleased to help provide some assistance,” she said.

“Funding for scholarships is a critical component for our students and in our second year, the Flagler County Cultural Council was proud to provide awards to high school photo contest winners at the annual Creekside Festival last October,” added Crouch.

Photo Caption: Jay Scherr, (FC3) Nancy Crouch (FC3), Teresa Rizzo (FCEF), and Lawson Glasergreen (FC3). Photo: Flagler County Cultural Council

“The Flagler County Education Foundation expresses profound gratitude to the John W. Kurtich Foundation for graciously offering this invaluable opportunity. Through their generous support, we can empower 12th-grade students with a passion for art education, providing them with

crucial scholarship funds to transform their aspirations into reality,” added Flagler County Education Foundation Executive Director Teresa Rizzo.

The Flagler County Cultural Council mission is to advocate, support, and foster collaboration for the arts and humanities. For more information, visit www.FlaglerArtsandCulture.org.