purelyballet Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 I thought this was wondeful news and wanted to share it with the rest of the PABallet fans..... PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL LATEST NEWS 9:31 AM EST Tuesday Pennsylvania Ballet gets $1M pledge The Pennsylvania Ballet, which is based in Philadelphia, said Monday it received a pledge of $1 million, its largest endowment gift ever. It will buttress the ballet's endowment, which was started within the past year and is now just shy of $2 million. The pledge, from Ruth and Morris Williams of Gladwyne, Pa., will underwrite the position of the company's artistic director, which will now be known as the Ruth and Morris Williams Artistic Directorship. The position has been held since 1995 by Roy Kaiser. "The beauty and quality of the performances under the direction of Roy Kaiser, the fine leadership provided by Michael Scolamiero and [board Chairman] Louise Reed, and the dedication of the dancers are all reasons why Ruth and I want to support Pennsylvania Ballet," Morris Williams said in a statement. Ruth Williams chairs the boards of Vox Ama Deus and Project Forward Leap, and also serves as a member of the boards of the Philadelphia Orchestra and College of Wooster in Ohio. Morris Williams chairs the board of the Philadelphia Scholars and serves as a member of the Board of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and CARE, and is a Trustee Emerti of Duke University. "Mr. and Mrs. Williams are longtime Pennsylvania Ballet supporters and subscribers," said Executive Director Michael Scolamiero. "Their generosity and friendship over the years has been outstanding and this extraordinary gift is a testament to their confidence in the organization's leadership and artistic merit." The Pennsylvania Ballet, founded in 1963, has an annual operating budget of $10.5 million. © 2004 American City Business Journals Inc. Web reprint information Link to comment
socalgal Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 This IS wonderful news for PABallet! At a time when arts spending seems to be dwindling, a beautiful and well deserved gift like this appears! The company has an exciting artistic year ahead of them on top of the financial security a gift like this brings to the organization. Kudos to all. Link to comment
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