It is bittersweet to announce I'll be stepping down as Chair of the Franklin Cultural Council soon. I'm so very proud of all we accomplished over the past five years!
During the hardest days of the pandemic, this particular group of volunteers provided the community of Franklin consistent online programming and opportunities to remain creative and resilient. We facilitated eight online "Monday Night Masterclasses" as well as held musical shows outside at the Franklin Senior Center and Franklin's Rehabilitation Center throughout 2020. During this dark period, we also started the Franklin Halloween House Decorating Contest, and never could have predicted its popularity!
We've been able to pull off two gigantic Franklin Cultural Festivals on our town common, as well as host the inaugural "MetroWest Arts & Cultural Symposium" – both events bringing in residents from all over MetroWest, MA. We've continued to advocate for funding and this year we will be giving out our all-time highest amount of grant awarding – roughly $27,000! All of that money will be spent on our community in the form of arts and cultural programming. I will be leading the charge of the grant reviews this November before I step down officially.
We've worked hard to add over 2,000 members to our online community via Facebook and Instagram in just a few short years. Our online community has been a large ingredient in our success towards community engagement, and our online branding has also helped us to shape an inclusive and caring environment for our community.
I think by far the most important work that has taken place, is the quiet work that has been done to increase inclusivity and diversity within the Town of Franklin. That work has been purposeful and strategic. We have first-hand witnessed impactful and positive change within the different demographics in Franklin. We are very proud of these initiatives, programming and the results. We sincerely hope it will inspire others to continue in this direction - in the spirit of "Community Unity".
Thank you to all that have partnered with us to promote arts and cultural programming. I hope these partnerships will continue in the years to come. And a heartfelt thank you to the members of the Council who have worked tirelessly in the name of the arts: Sarah Cronin, Lillian Gould, Pushpa Jangareddi, Patrick Kinner, Jamele Adams, Jacob Juncker,Venus Senjam, Brianna Cummings, Karen Wellerson Juhl, Lauren Sanford, Jon Mitchell, Ted Cormier-Leger, Shelley Green and, Swati Bhaskar Rao.
You'll always be able to reach us at Franklinculturalcouncil02038@gmail.com and you'll be able to reach me at kayekellyhardt@gmail.com. I am looking forward to opening myself up to new adventures in the world of arts and culture!
Yours in gratitude and community,
Kaye | | | |
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