Fairmount Center Secures Funding to Bring Programs to Veterans
Fairmount Center for the Arts Secures Funding to Bring Programs to Veterans
Veterans will have the opportunity to explore their creativity through music and visual arts.
Fairmount Center for the Arts is excited to announce that they have received an $10,000 award from the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant, which is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). Fairmount Center was the only organization in Ohio to be selected for the 2026 grant cycle.
This grant program aims to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma as well as their families and caregivers through experiences of art making.
Fairmount Center will offer a series of classes, Creative Connections for Veterans, focused on individual and communal artmaking experiences for adult and senior veterans residing in rural Geauga County. This will happen working closely with the Geauga County Veterans Services Commission and Geauga County Department on Aging. Fairmount’s teaching artists will lead participants through music, journaling, or visual arts activities held at Fairmount’s Chardon facility and four senior centers located throughout the county.
As part of the series, participants will be encouraged to be a part of a culminating performance and community art exhibition in May 2027, with communally produced artworks to be displayed at the Geauga County Veterans Services offices.
“This particular experience was developed out of conversations between Fairmount, Veterans Services, and the Department on Aging about piloting new arts-enriched offerings for veterans residing in the area,” said Elizabeth Bolander, Executive Director. “Such experiences are needed for this area’s veteran population due to the rural and semi-rural nature of Geauga County. Located to the east of Cleveland, it often takes residents upwards of an hour to commute to larger city centers like downtown Cleveland or surrounding suburbs where such experiences are often more accessible.”
"Our veterans have given so much in service to our country, and they deserve opportunities that support not only their physical health, but also their emotional and social well-being," said Jessica Boalt, Director of the Geauga County Department on Aging. "This partnership will bring meaningful arts experiences directly into our senior centers and community, making them more accessible to older veterans throughout Geauga County. We are excited to collaborate with Fairmount Center for the Arts to help veterans connect, create, and thrive."
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About Creative Connections for Veterans
Creative Connections for Veterans is funded in part by Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs that seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military and veteran populations exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers. Creative Forces is managed in partnership with Civic Arts, the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.
About Fairmount Center for the Arts
The mission of Fairmount Center for the Arts is to enrich lives through the arts. For more than 55 years, Fairmount Center for the Arts has provided a space for individual expression and the opportunity for all to explore the arts through classes, workshops, community performances and cultural programs. For more information or to register for classes, music lessons and special events visit fairmountcenter.org or call (440) 338-3171.
The Fairmount Center for the Arts is supported in part by the Figgie Foundation and Ohio Arts Council (OAC), which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts. The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
