Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs Recognizes the Kids Tag Art Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tax Collector Wins State Award
Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs Recognizes the Kids Tag Art Program
BARTOW, Florida/PR Free/January 26, 2018
Joe Tedder, Tax Collector for Polk County, announces that the Kids Tag Art Program, a drawing and fundraising program that originated in Polk County is the recipient of the Division of Cultural Affairs’ Diversity and Inclusion Award for 2018.
The Diversity & Inclusion Awards Program recognizes the efforts of individuals working to make arts and cultural programming in Florida as diverse and inclusive as possible. The Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs recognizes Florida’s diversity as one of the key attributes to the state’s vibrant cultural landscape and through this program aims to support the ongoing dedication of Florida’s cultural organizations to lead in this area.
Kids Tag Art has been a great success in Polk County for twelve years and several years ago many other tax collectors took up the program to the point where in addition to each individual Tax Collector program, a Florida Tax Collector’s Kids Tag Art Program, hosted by the Florida Tax Collector Association (FTCA) was created. There are now over 14 county tax collectors that are actively hosting this program across the state.
“Southern Homes is proud to partner with Joe Tedder and his team in support of the very successful and award-winning Kids Tag Art program,” said Greg Masters, President of Southern Homes. “We know that students who participate in the arts are three times more likely to be awarded for school attendance and are more likely to graduate. By investing in this program, we feel that we’re investing in the future of Polk County students and, ultimately, the future of our community.”
Because of this statewide impact, The Florida Tax Collector’s Association has been awarded the 2018 Diversity and Inclusion Award by the Florida Department of State’s Division of Cultural Affairs and the Citizens for Florida Arts, Inc. This award will be presented on Wednesday evening, January 24, 2018.The award comes with a cash prize of $1,000. The Florida Tax Collectors plan to use these funds to establish a statewide awards program for the students’ artwork, to coincide with the FTCA Fall Education Conference held in Orlando each year.
For more information on the Department of State’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards, please visit http://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/diversity-inclusion-awards-program .
