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Every Gift Matters: Acknowledging Your Essential Role in Arts Education

The giving season is one of the busiest times of year, and it is also a time that reminds us to reflect on the importance of family and friends, kindness and generosity. Every winter, we shift our focus to value what matters most and strive to be our best selves. The act of giving sustains the human spirit in a way few other actions do, and for that reason it is essential to the human experience.

Giving thanks is an easy place to start. We are so grateful for the extraordinary altruism of the Northeast Florida community. From our corporate partners and individual donors to the educators, administrators and teaching artists we work with every day, your giving spirit has allowed us to provide tens of thousands of children and young adults with access to quality arts education and therapeutic services.

Your acts of giving, exemplified in so many ways, have guided the growth of CAP and inspired us for decades.

Even Small Gifts Have Big Impacts on Nonprofits

Gifts come in all sizes, and for nonprofit organizations, they come in many forms—a donation of food or supplies, monetary support, the volunteering of time and the building of relationships are just a few examples of gifts that sustain us. Without giving, the nonprofits that enhance our community in infinite positive ways would not exist.

Abess Park Chorus at Performing Arts Showcase | photo by Sindy Gonzalez

In the philanthropic sector, the big gifts receive the most attention, but the small-gift supporters make the greatest contribution to a nonprofit’s success. Small-gift supporters are loosely defined as people who contribute $100 or less to a nonprofit. It may not seem like your gift of $100, $50 or even $25 will make a difference, but it truly does.

Sustained support from small-gift donors allows for a diversified income stream for nonprofit organizations by providing financial stability throughout tough economic times. Many nonprofits offer the option to give monthly through recurring electronic donations. $10 a month may not make much of a dent in your wallet, but it gives nonprofits peace of mind knowing they can count on your support month after month.

Giving is the Gift Itself

CAP Art Counseling students show off their work

Giving is a mutually beneficial action. For the recipient, it is a gesture of support; and for the giver, it nourishes character and goodwill. It is an act that doesn’t have to be seasonal, but instead can be embraced year-round. At CAP, we recognize the act of giving as the gift itself.

As we approach the close our REIMAGINE Campaign, we would like to thank every person who has played a role in giving to us, no matter how big or small. Your giving has lifted the creative spirit of generations of children in our community.

You are the reason we are here today, and you are the reason we will be here for decades to come.

Please consider supporting CAP today to become our partner in creating brighter futures for young people in our community.

November 17, 2025

For media inquiries, please contact media@capkids.org.

Every child has a creative spirit. The study of music develops their unique strengths – like self-confidence, creative thinking, self-respect, empathy and perseverance. Participation in the arts creates extraordinary change in the lives of children that sets them up to succeed in school and in life.🌟#theartsaddup #capkidsjax #artsed
CAP is hiring a Part Time Teaching Artist in Strings! As a CAP Teaching Artist specializing in strings, you'll inspire young lives by providing instruction in violin, viola, cello and/or bass in afterschool settings across Northeast Florida. You'll create and utilize engaging, standards-aligned curriculum and lead enriching educational experiences that ignite students' creative spirits and foster a lifelong appreciation for music. For more information visit our work at CAP link in bio. Apply today!🎻
Are you a military family? CAP is proud to provide two FREE week-long arts camps for Blue Star Families this summer!🎶👯Supported by the @Kids Hope Alliance, CAP’s Brave HeArts program provides military families with the opportunity for their students to explore their creativity through a variety of arts experiences and performances. Led by CAP teaching artists, campers of all experience levels will enjoy music and dance activities designed to spark creativity and self-expression. Learn more and register at our Brave HeArts link in bio!💙

Session 1 | Music Exploration
July 6-10 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Rising 3rd – 5th graders
Campers will explore their musical interests through both individual and collaborative instruction. 

Session 2 | Dance Exploration
July 13-17 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Rising 3rd – 5th graders
Campers will embark on an exciting journey in this beginner-level dance camp.

Location: Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, 4001 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Come out to this Riverside Arts Market and cheer for our Emerging Artists Programs students in the CAP Dance Ensemble, CAP String Orchestra and CAP Theatre Company on the River Stage this Saturday, May 2 beginning at 10:30 am! 🎻👯🎭Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Spring for the Arts is tomorrow and the silent auction is officially OPEN – you can place your bids remotely or in-person with the auction link in bio!

This annual event celebrates the impact you, our donors, have had on local students, and raises funds for CAP's REIMAGINE Campaign, with the ultimate goal of putting paint brushes, instruments, scripts and dance shoes in the hands of more children in Northeast Florida than ever before. Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.🎉Happy bidding!
Cathedral Arts Project (CAP) is grateful to announce that we are recipients of the Find Your Light Foundation's 2026 grant! Their support allows us to to empower every child’s creative spirit, ensuring that students across Northeast Florida have access to essential arts education that recognizes, grows and amplifies every student's unique skills and strengths.

Find Your Light is dedicated to supporting exceptional arts programs where the need is greatest, recognizing arts education as an essential part of a young person’s development. 
Thank you, @Fylfoundation, for championing the power of the arts and helping CAP make a lasting impact! #TheArtsAddUp #ArtsEducation
It was a whirlwind weekend at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts, where more than 1,000 Cathedral Arts Project students danced, acted, sang, drummed, and played their hearts out at the annual Performing Arts Showcase!

Thank you to our emcees, teaching artists, assistants, staff, volunteers, parents and students who made this weekend so special. Your dedication created a truly magical experience for everyone involved.

Special thanks to State Representative Kiyan Michael; Darryl Willie, Duval County School Board, District 4; and Melody Bolduc, Duval County School Board, District 7. We are grateful for leaders who champion the power of arts education and recognize its lasting impact on student learning and growth.

Huge thank you to our sponsors, The Willits Foundation, VyStar Credit Union, Cara & Scott Baity and Anne & Marc Mayo. 
Stay tuned for more Showcase photos! 🌟
"Through the Cathedral Arts Project (CAP), children discover what it feels like to give their full attention to something meaningful and in doing so they are reclaiming a skill that many of us have forgotten how to practice.
 
We used to think of focus as something we simply had or didn't. But what if it's more like a muscle that weakens when it's rarely used?

Hand a child a violin, a sketchbook or a script and watch time disappear. In that moment of total focus, something extraordinary happens. Learning deepens.  At CAP, that’s the quiet brilliance of arts education; it trains not just the eye or ear, but the mind to stay." 
- Kimberly Hyatt, President & CEO, Cathedral Arts Project 

Learn more at our link in bio.🌟
#TheArtsAddUp

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