Life

Pardee to fund bus rides to Playhouse

By Bill Moss, Published: December 12, 2014

Pardee Hospital has stepped up with funding that will revive a Flat Rock Playhouse outreach program that carries public school students to plays.

Lisa K. Bryant, Flat Rock Playhouse Artistic Director, and Jay Kirby, President and CEO of Pardee Hospital, announced that the two organizations will partner to bring theatre and arts to Henderson County students.

Pardee Hospital will be the official sponsor of "Rock and Roll," the first program in the Playhouse's new "Rock Out!" educational outreach initiative. "Rock and Roll" will provide bus transportation for Henderson County school children to the 2015 performances of The Wizard of Oz, Fly, and Oliver! In the absence of state funding to cover transportation costs for extra-curricular activities, Bryant and Kirby view this partnership as a way to mitigate the difficult choices teachers and schools face when choosing enrichment programs for their students.

"Pardee is excited and proud to partner with Flat Rock Playhouse to help educate our school children," said Kirby. "Our sponsorship will provide bus transportation for Henderson County school students so they can experience first-hand the magic of live theater, music and dance. We applaud Lisa Bryant's leadership in this collaboration to continue the arts education of children in our community."

The Rock Out! outreach program is an initiative begun by the Flat Rock Playhouse to foster arts education and artistic development for the roughly 13,000 students in Henderson County. The Pardee-FRP "Rock and Roll" student matinee bus collaboration will serve elementary, middle, and high school students. The Playhouse expects to build similar connections in Polk and Transylvania counties, expanding its efforts to introduce and preserve the experience of live arts for our area's youth.

"We're thrilled that Pardee Hospital was immediately on board as the sponsor of our first formal program under Rock Out!" said Bryant. "Both of our institutions share a commitment to bringing quality to our customers and enhancing the lives of those we serve. I am proud and honored for their enthusiastic commitment as we team up to support our schools, and work to ensure that the arts are accessible to our youth and to our educators."