Building on the VyStar spirit of community outreach, the local credit union has gifted Jacksonville Arts and Music School, affectionately known as "JAMS," an impressive $200,000 to aid in its much-needed expansion. The school had renovated and reopened with longer hours during the COVID-19 pandemic after it became apparent that students of Jacksonville's most socioeconomically underserved communities struggled to make the shift to virtual learning. JAMS' "JAMSonville" Phase 4 renovation expansion aims to assist with the organization's goal to serve 100 after-school program students, 100 summer intensive students ("The JAMS 100"), and to provide ongoing community engagement in the area. By expanding onto the 2nd floor of the renovated 7,000 sq ft. lower-level, the out-of-school time organization will position itself to offer more forms of arts and cultural programming, leadership development, college, and career readiness courses.
The new space called the "North Stars Wing" will house collaboration spaces, think tanks, a college entry exam classroom/training room, a larger tutoring space, and a lounge for students. There will also be additional administrative rooms for teacher planning and program development.
"This is huge for us," says Jason Peoples, JAMS' Executive Director. "Many of our young men and women have now entered into high school. We need a dedicated space to implement training and mentorship programs to prepare them for college and beyond. By reducing the timeline for completion of our "North Stars Wing," we give ourselves the ability to do just that."
VyStar has been a long-time supporter of JAMS and believes in the hard work necessary for creating generations of diverse, critical thinking leaders. "The future of Jacksonville is brightest when we invest in our children and show them that there is always a place for creativity, imagination and innovation,” said VyStar President/CEO Brian Wolfburg. “VyStar stands in proud support of the Jacksonville Arts & Music School, and we look forward to a tomorrow when the richness of these ideals is on full display."
If you are interested in learning more about how you can help with the JAMSonville Development Project or the North Stars Wing specifically, please contact the Director of Development, Amber Brinker, at: amberb@jamslife.org.
If you'd like to donate, please visit: www.jamslife.org/donate.
