[YOUR ORGANIZATION LOGO]

[DATE]

Editor
[YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY, STATE, ZIP]

Dear Editor:

Having just returned from pARTicipate2001 - the first joint convention of more than 1,500 members of Americans for the Arts and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies in New York City - it is energizing and exciting to envision how the strategies developed with these leading colleagues can be implemented here in [YOUR TOWN]. The impact of the arts reaches beyond the doors of [YOUR ORGANIZATION] - it is an integral part of our communities socially, culturally and economically. According to the most recent Jobs, Arts and the Economy study, the nonprofit arts industry represents $36.8 billion in expenditures and provides 1.3 million full-time jobs nationwide.

The benefit of the arts is clear, as evidenced by the thousands of successful arts programs currently across the country. One of the most poignant examples made during pARTicipate is that of [INSERT DESCRIPTOR ABOUT ONE OF THE ARTVENTURE TRIPS YOU WENT ON].

The arts bring diverse people together. The arts are a critical component to our children's learning and academic success - a 1996 U.S. Department of Justice evaluation, in partnership with Americans for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, demonstrated that arts programs decrease youths' involvement in delinquent behavior, increase academic achievement, and improve youths' attitudes about themselves and their future. The arts are a core component of civic dialogue and community building, and now we can try new tactics in [YOUR TOWN] to [IDENTIFY MAIN GOAL/ACCOMPLISHMENT/CHALLENGE TO YOUR ORG. COMING OUT OF THE MEETING].

Continuing the upward trend of giving to the arts will ensure the enrichment of our community today, and for generations to come, which is why they deserve our whole-hearted support.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ORGANIZATION]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR PHONE NUMBER]