Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts Announces
The 2016 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships Program
Call for Applicants now open, deadline to apply is Feb. 29

TAMPA, Fla. (January 15, 2016) – Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts (TBBCA) is pleased to announce the Call for Applicants is now open for its 2016 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships Program. See www.tbbca.org for application.

The TBBCA Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships program is a unique funding resource for higher education.
Each year, TBBCA awards $15,000 in The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships to Tampa Bay area students based on merit and artistic ability. The scholarship is awarded in the fields of instrumental music, vocal music, theatre, dance, visual arts and literary arts, and it can be used for tuition at the college, university or professional arts training program of the student’s choice.

This TBBCA program to support arts education and young artists is named in honor of TBBCA Past President, the late Charlie Hounchell, who was the program’s founder and champion. Since 2007, TBBCA has provided financial assistance for higher education tuition to Tampa Bay area students who are some of the most promising and talented young artists and performers in the nation.

All qualified eligible current high school juniors and seniors from Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties are encouraged to apply. The 2016 Application and Guidelines are available for download at www.tbbca.org. Interested parties can also contact TBBCA Executive Director Susana Weymouth at susanaweymouth@tbbca.org to request an email copy. There is no application fee.

The completed application packet must be mailed to the TBBCA office by the deadline of Monday, February 29, 2016. TBBCA will announce the 2016 winners in early April.

The 2015 Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships were awarded to:
• Theatre – David Friedman who graduated from Howard W. Blake High School in May 2015
• Literary Arts – Amy Malakoff who is currently a senior at Howard W. Blake High School
• Dance – Alexandra Desruisseaux who graduated from Wiregrass Ranch High School in May 2015
• Instrumental Music – Mark Trotter who graduated from Keswick Christian School in May 2015
• Vocal Music – Ginny Swanson who is currently a senior at Shorecrest Preparatory School
• Visual Arts – Indigo Naar who is currently a senior at Gibbs High School

The 2015 scholarship recipients showcased their talents at The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships Awards Ceremony at TBBCA pARTner The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

About TBBCA
Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989, and one of 11 national Business Committees of the pARTnership Movement of Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. TBBCA serves Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco Counties, with the mission to unite Tampa Bay area businesses to champion arts education, arts and culture for a prosperous community. TBBCA’s numerous programs support and promote arts and culture throughout the greater Tampa Bay area and provide advocacy, funding for artists, scholarship funds, and access to cultural programming.

TBBCA programs, including The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships, are made possible through the generosity of pARTners, including Chair’s Circle: Premier Eye Care; Stephen Gay, Gay & Associates Realtors; MedHOK; Linda and Michael Connelly; Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP; The Wilson Company; B2 Communications; Tampa Bay Times; Tampa Bay Magazine; Cox Media Group; ChappellRoberts; Alex McKnight, and others. To join TBBCA pARTnership Movement or to donate online to The Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Scholarships go to www.tbbca.org. Individual CHASS scholarship naming rights and sponsorships are available. Please contact TBBCA Executive Director Susana Weymouth at 813-221-2787.

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