By Friendswood ISD Media Relations Department
The Friendswood Rotary Club completed its inaugural 12X12 Art Auction on December 9 which
raised $4,680 to fund fine arts grants in Friendswood ISD (FISD) through the Friendswood ISD
Education Foundation (FEF).
The goal of the project was to feature the gifts of the artists of today while investing in the artists
of tomorrow in the Friendswood community.
“We owe a huge thank you to the Conroe Art League for helping us get this project off the
ground,” Friendswood Rotarian Dr. Rebecca Hillenburg said.
Thirty-six participating artists, including seven Friendswood High School art students and four
FISD art teachers donated their time and talent to create a 12X12 canvas for the online auction.
“Our goal was to raise $3,600, so we were very excited to surpass that with the strong response
from the community,” Friendswood Frame & Gallery Owner and Rotarian Luis Briones said.
Friendswood Rotary President and FEF Director Judy Wiggins worked alongside Rotarian and
FEF Executive Director Ashley Adair to develop a recommendation of which fine arts grants to
fund with the $4,680 raised.
“It was important to us to fund a variety of fine arts grants at both the elementary and secondary
levels,” Wiggins said. “We also selected a few grants that will equip students to engage in art
service projects in the community as they exemplified Rotary’s motto of service above self.”
In total, 13 fine arts grants were selected that will impact art, music and theater projects.
One grant titled “Mo Willems Musical” for Westwood Elementary will enable all Westwood
students to take a field trip to Main Street Theater to see one of their favorite books, “Let
The Pigeon Drive The Bus!” come to life as a musical. The grant will promote literacy and
introduce students to the art of musicals at the same time.
Another grant titled “Artwork Sew Perfect” for FHS will fund a sewing machine and materials
for art students who want to engage in more three-dimensional pieces of art. This is an area
students have expressed interest in exploring more in order to participate in 3D categories in art
competitions and community events.
“We are so grateful to collaborate with Rotary on this new fundraiser,” Adair said. “I loved
visiting with the winner of each art piece at pick-up and hearing their unique ‘why’ behind their
decision to support the project.”
You can come alongside Rotary in supporting FEF’s Adopt-A-Grant Campaign by visiting the
Foundation’s website at fef.myfisd.com/grants and clicking the yellow button to browse this
year’s grants.


