The grant will be used to create a groundbreaking arts enrichment program that provides students with access to the arts through an immersive experience that occurs both in students' communities and via online platforms. Thousands of high school students from underserved and Title 1 Schools in the Los Angeles area are expected to participate in the program at the Getty Center, with potentially thousands more joining in the experience online.
"At Genesis, we are driven by the philosophy that we are responsible global citizens committed to advancement in our vehicles and in the communities in which we operate," said Erwin Raphael, General Manager of the Genesis brand in the U.S. market. "Genesis believes that arts can open doors, foster collaboration, and expand minds. With a commitment to CSR, our goal is to harness the power of the arts to fuel the next generation. We want to help kids enhance their creativity and collaboration skills, improve their problem-solving and critical thinking ability, and increase their self-confidence. We are proud to award this first grant to the Getty Museum, an organization so deeply embedded in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and which embodies this philosophy."
Genesis USA's CSR mission is to make a real impact on children's lives by supporting programs that foster creativity and spark curiosity, offer new experiences and enhance personal development beyond the classroom. The Genesis-Getty program, designed with this mission in mind, will consist of curriculum-based challenges and instruction that link the 21st century skills of creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration to science, engineering and mathematical principles.
"I am thrilled that Genesis is partnering with the Getty Museum in innovative educational initiatives that will allow our diverse community to engage more effectively with the arts both intellectually and emotionally," says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. "The program we are creating will help teens do more than develop curriculum-based skills; we will be helping them find their voice through creative challenges and community building. We applaud Genesis' commitment to supporting arts education."
A special grant ceremony is being held on Tuesday, February 14, 2017 at the Riviera Country Club, with executives from Genesis USA and the Getty, to formally announce the program. The program, which will bring teens into the development phase, will launch fully in one year.
The Genesis Open, L.A.'s PGA TOUR event, is bringing the next chapter in championship golf to The Riviera Country Club February 13 – 19, 2017. One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, the tournament celebrated its 90th playing in 2016 as Bubba Watson won the event for the second time. With the TGR Live serving as event management company for the Genesis Open, the Tiger Woods Foundation is the primary benefiting charity with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation's college-access programs in Southern California.