Source: Tulsa Ballet
BROKEN ARROW — Tulsa Ballet announced the creation of the Hardesty Opportunity Fund, a new scholarship program designed to expand access to dance education for students of all ages and experience levels at the Hardesty Center for Dance Education in Broken Arrow.
Made possible through a generous endowment gift from longtime Tulsa Ballet supporters Charles and Sheri Stinson, the Hardesty Opportunity Fund will provide scholarship assistance to families seeking high-quality dance education, helping remove financial barriers that may otherwise prevent participation.
The fund represents a significant expansion of scholarship opportunities within Tulsa Ballet’s Center for Dance Education, the organization says.
While previous scholarship offerings primarily supported students in advanced intensive training programs, the Hardesty Opportunity Fund is available to students at every stage of their dance journey, including children stepping into a dance studio for the very first time.
“The Hardesty Opportunity Fund marks an exciting new chapter for Tulsa Ballet because it opens the door for more children to experience the joy of dance. For the first time, we’re able to offer scholarship opportunities not only for our advanced training programs, but also for our youngest and newest students,” says Executive Director Stacey Jenkins.
“Dance builds confidence, creativity, discipline, and connection — qualities that strengthen not only individual students but our entire community. We are incredibly grateful to Charles and Sheri Stinson for their generosity and shared belief that every child deserves the opportunity to grow through the arts.”
Charles Stinson wanted his philanthropic investment to directly benefit children and families in the community. At the same time, Tulsa Ballet Executive Director Stacey Jenkins had envisioned creating a scholarship fund at the Hardesty Center for Dance Education to help eliminate financial barriers for families. Together, that shared vision became the Hardesty Opportunity Fund.
“For decades, financial restraints have adversely impacted funding for the arts which is a category of education that we simply cannot afford to lose,” says donor and arts supporter Charles Stinson. “The arts are woven into the fabric of who we are as a society and contribute to the depth of our country’s culture. The Hardesty Opportunity Fund through Tulsa Ballet will allow numerous children with demonstrated financial need to experience the arts through dance scholarships.”
Tulsa Ballet’s Center for Dance Education is recognized as one of the region’s premier dance training programs, offering instruction from experienced professional educators and artists in a welcoming environment for students of all ages.
Through classes ranging from beginner recreational programs to pre-professional training, the school serves hundreds of students each year while fostering confidence, creativity, discipline, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
“Dance training offers children so much more than the opportunity to learn how to dance,” says CDE School Director Lauren Richter. “It teaches them to set goals, work through challenges, build confidence, express themselves creatively, and learn the value of commitment and perseverance.
These are skills that stay with students far beyond the dance studio and can positively shape who they become. Thanks to the Stinson family, the Hardesty Opportunity Fund will help ensure that more children in our community can experience these benefits, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.”
Families interested in applying for scholarship assistance through the Hardesty Opportunity Fund can learn more and apply at:https://tulsaballet.org/hardesty-opportunity-fund-application/
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