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<div>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</div>
<div>Michigan Youth Arts<br /></div>
<div>301 W 4th St, Ste 415</div>
<div>Royal Oak, MI 48067</div>
<div>michiganyoutharts.org</div>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" align="center"><span>OVATION, COMCAST, AND MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS WILL AWARD </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">$100,000 IN ARTS & CULTURE TREK GRANTS TO MICHIGAN SCHOOLS DURING THE </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2012-2013 CALENDAR YEAR</span></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">ROYAL OAK, Michigan (November 8, 2012) - Michigan Youth Arts Association, and the co-sponsors of its Arts & Culture Trek Grant Program, Ovation and Comcast, will award over $20,000 in grants to Michigan K-12 schools statewide to cover the cost of transportation for an arts and culture related field trip. The program will support field trips for 5,878 students in sixty schools throughout the state for field trips taking place November 1, 2012 through February 28, 2013. The Arts & Culture Trek grant is an extension of the original program supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, which awarded $35,000 in grants to 101 schools this past spring. In continuation of the program, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs is working once again with Michigan Youth Arts to award an additional $45,000 in bus grants for field trips taking place March 1 through May 31, 2013. Applications will be accepted for this cycle starting Monday, December 3, 2012 and are due by Friday, January 25, 2013. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"For many children, this is the only field trip of the year, as PTO fundraising falls short and districts across the state have to decrease funding for field trip excursions," said Sonia Tower, Vice President of Community Relations for Ovation. "Ovation's mission is to create access to the arts for all Americans and this program advances that agenda. By providing kids with a hands-on experience, their curriculum is not only enhanced, their creativity and innovation is encouraged, ultimately leaving a long-lasting impression on students who may never get the chance to connect with these centers of artistic and cultural wealth otherwise." </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Educators chose from a list of nearly 150 arts and cultural institutions that offer educational programming, exhibits and performances outside the classroom, which enhance the arts and humanities curriculum. Reviewers score applicants on four basic components: eligibility, educational goals, collaboration with the hosting organization, and the need of the school. In a recent survey released by Michigan Youth Arts entitled Arts Education in Michigan, it was discovered that 45 percent of schools cited transportation costs as a significant barrier to arts-related field trips. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"The partnership with the Michigan Youth Arts Association to provide these Trek grants has been amazing" said John Bracey, Executive Director of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. "It has been abundantly clear, through the arts education survey project, that there are so many kids in this state, who without the support of this program, would never have the opportunity to experience the incredible arts and cultural activities our Michigan organizations can provide." </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"Comcast supports educational and community efforts, such as the Trek grants, because it helps to foster the building blocks of ingenuity that we look for in future employees of our company," stated Mary Beth Halprin, Vice President of Public Relations and Community Investment for Comcast's Heartland Region. "We are pleased to partner with Ovation and the Michigan Youth Arts Association to make these field trips opportunities available for Michigan students." </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">In addition to the bus grants, Comcast will commit $25,000 in-kind media support for Michigan Youth Arts Association to launch the "I Am Arts Education" PSA campaign from October through December on local cable networks. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"The support from Ovation, Comcast and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs comes during a critical point in shaping the education of our children when creativity is an important part of their overall growth. <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Through programs like the Arts and Culture Trek grant and the I Am Arts Education PSA campaign we will work collaboratively to further promote youth participation in the arts and show the positive impact that arts education has on our youngest citizens," said Candy Smirnow, Executive Director of Michigan Youth Arts Association. </span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">"A student can only learn so much from a computer," said Bracey. "They need to stand before the Diego Riviera murals at the DIA, they need to experience in person the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra performing, they need to see in person the work of the Grand Rapids Ballet or the artifacts from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald at the Great Lakes Ship Wreck Museum at Whitefish Point.... and for some of these kids these trips may well represent a once-in-a-life-time opportunity." </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">A complete <a style="color: rgb(10, 116, 219); text-decoration: none; " track="on" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xaylpflab.0.vg9spflab.c8xo74bab.0&ts=S0835&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michiganyoutharts.org%2Fpdf%2F2012FallTrekAwards.pdf" linktype="1" target="_blank">list of award recipients </a>for the 2012 fall cycle as well as application guidelines for the 2013 spring cycle may be found at <a style="color: rgb(10, 116, 219); text-decoration: none; " track="on" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=xaylpflab.0.jzpy6djab.c8xo74bab.0&ts=S0835&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michiganyoutharts.org%2Fgrants" linktype="1" target="_blank">www.michiganyoutharts.org/grants</a> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center; " align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong># # #</strong></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; text-align: center; " align="center"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>About Ovation </strong></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Ovation is a network devoted to artists and every kind of artistic expression. Ovation programming is a one-of-a-kind mix of original and selectively curated series, films, documentaries and specials. The network reaches a national audience of 51 million homes and is available on cable systems across the country, as well as nationally on DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse. Ovation is also available in HD and VOD (both in standard and high definition). Ovation extends its linear channel experience for viewers online via its popular website, www.ovationtv.com . In addition, Ovation is also active in the social media space. See the Ovation Facebook page for the latest information and conversations about the network and the arts: <span>http://Ovtn.tv/fb</span>. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>About Comcast Corporation </strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (<span>www.comcast.com</span>) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>About Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs </strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, serves to encourage, initiate and facilitate an enriched artistic, cultural and creative environment in Michigan. For more on its initiatives and programs, visit <span>www.michiganadvantage.org/arts</span>. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><strong>About Michigan Youth Arts </strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Michigan Youth Arts is an alliance that develops, supports and advocates excellence in arts education for all. Programming consists of statewide arts education programs, advocacy, grantmaking, and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012. Learn more at <span>www.michiganyoutharts.org</span>. </p>
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