DALLAS – The sun was shining and there was dancing in the aisles as Barnes & Thornburg celebrated four years of partnership with Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts this past weekend with a family concert in the park. The concert helped shine a spotlight on the school and four years of the Barnes & Thornburg Student Enrichment Fund, created in 2019 to support arts education and benefit students at the Dallas school.
The fund has financed grants for 34 students with financial assistance aimed at enriching their learning experience and supporting and advancing their artistic and academic development. The grants aid students with expenses related to travel, competitions, conferences, performances, auditions and/or college visits; necessary academic and artistic supplies and accessories; college application fees; and extracurricular intensive training programs.
“Since we launched this initiative, we’ve been honored to provide dozens of students with the opportunity to pursue their passion in the arts, providing a springboard for their future careers as artistic leaders and pioneers,” said Mark Bayer, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas office. “Supporting our local community, area youth and the arts has always been a priority for us, and it was a joy to watch the Booker T. students showcase their talents and deliver impressive performances.”
The signature event recognizing the Barnes & Thornburg Student Enrichment Fund was held on Sunday, September 18, at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, where students performed a medley of acts from musical “The Wiz.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of the arts and performance, and our responsibility to support students pursuing careers in the arts has never been greater,” said Booker T.’s Theatre Conservatory Director, Guinea Bennett Price. “As we gathered this weekend to enjoy the students’ performances, we were reminded of the generosity of community organizations like Barnes & Thornburg. Over the years, these grants have helped provide students intensive training and courses, enabling them to explore and grow their talents across colleges, conservatories, and other avenues in the professional world.”
This year’s grant recipients will be selected over the course of three application cycles during this academic year.
With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
