Why I Choose to Serve

No one would call me an art aficionado. Simply put, I am a fan. I am not an art connoisseur with years of training, education and experience. Simply put, I am an art consumer. I am also a tax payer in the State of Pennsylvania. It was for those simple reasons that I volunteered to serve as a panelist for the Pennsylvania Partners in Arts (PPA) Project Stream Grant Review Panel.

Interestingly, when I found the call for grant review panelists on the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance website, I had not visited the site seeking this type of opportunity. I was actually researching the Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders organization, which had happened to post a board training opportunity on the site. Through the luck of a simple internet search for something else, I was introduced to the opportunity to be the change I want to see in the world.

I want to have increased access to the arts for all residents of the Philadelphia region. Since my childhood, I have believed that exposure and participation in the arts are important to develop well rounded individuals. Although my mother was only a teenager, she instilled in me an appreciation for the arts at a very early age. Had it not been for the benefit of state and local funds, we would not have been able to afford participation in the art programs I enjoyed as a child. For these opportunities, I have always been grateful, and it is in response to this sense of gratitude that I serve.

Alicia Agnew is a Strategic Consultant for the African American Chamber of Commerce.

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The state budget process remains stalled and funding for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) are in jeopardy. Get involved – comment on this story, share a story of your own, or visit our Action Center for more information on the state budget issue.

For information on becoming a PPA grant panelist, visit our grantmaking page.

 

The work of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is made possible through the generous support of committed individuals and institutions.