The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council located in Oxford, MS has been selected as a finalist for a $20,000 award in the 50 States for Good program sponsored by Tom’s of Maine.  Tom’s of Maine receives thousands of submissions for this program.  They have selected just 41 groups to consider as finalists. The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council’s project of renovating the Powerhouse Community Arts Center to provide access to the arts in rural Mississippi was the only project selected in Mississippi.  The Powerhouse is not a fine art center but a community center that focuses on providing opportunities for artists to create and for the public to experience the arts.

The Tom’s of Maine will contribute $20,000 to five different programs that are making a difference in their community.  The challenge is that Tom’s of Maine has narrowed the finalist down to 41 programs and is now asking the public for input on which five programs should receive the funds.  Oxford is competing with programs in Brooklyn, NY, Seattle, WA, and St. Paul, MN.  Each of these cities has a population equal almost the entire state of Mississippi.

We hope that Mississippians will get behind this project rooting and voting for the project in their state.  I think Mississippian will take pride in showing that our state has programs that rival anything in New York, Seattle and St. Paul, MN.

Information can be found on our website http://www.oxfordarts.com, but I am also attaching a link to the Tom’s of Maine announcement for your review: http://www.tomsofmaine.com/community-involvement/living-well/finalists-overview/poll.

Time is short.  Voting is now open and ends September 9th.  We need to raise awareness as people can vote once a day from now until September 9th.  We hope you can help us raise awareness of how a program from the Mississippi is competing on a national level based on the quality of the program

Thanks for your support - vote and then tell a friend!