FLORENCE, SC – Duke Energy once again made a donation to fund the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center’s annual Children’s Series. The $25,000 donation will support school-aged children in the Pee Dee region.
The gift from the Duke Energy Foundation allows students to attend Children’s Series events at no, or a reduced, cost. More than 30,000 students from across the Pee Dee have seen these shows.
With this year’s gift, contributions from the Duke Energy Foundation to PAC programming, and in particular the Children’s Series, now totals more than $100,000.
Francis Marion University President Dr. Fred Carter said Duke Energy’s ongoing commitment to the arts, and especially to children, has created an impactful tradition for students in the region. “The Children Series has become a much-anticipated event on school calendars across the Pee Dee,” Carter said. “It’s a great program that introduces so many children to the fine arts for the first time. The impact of Duke Energy’s gifts can’t be overstated. It’s much appreciated, both by FMU and the children of this region.”
Mindy Taylor, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy in Florence, said the company is delighted to bring arts and culture to the region’s school-age population.
This year’s series has, as usual, presented area students with an array of programming covering the arts, history, science, entertainment and inspiration. Shows on the 2016-17 schedule include “ArcAttack: Engineering Rules;” “I Have a Dream,” a dramatization of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King; and the children’s musical, “The Song of Mulan.”For more information on FMU’s Children Series, contact the FMU Performing Arts Center at 843.661.1919, or visit the PAC website at www.fmupac.org, or contact Francis Marion’s director of media relations, Matt McColl, at 843.611.1227 or mmccoll@fmarion.edu.
