3rd annual Be a Tiger for Kids event hosted by the Detroit Tigers

Park West Foundation Sponsors Cornerstone Schools

On September 8th, 2008 Park West was one of the corporate sponsors for the 3rd annual Be a Tiger for Kids event hosted by the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.  Participants attended a pre-game party called Rock 'n Roar, a family-friendly event with food, entertainment, and games. Tickets also included the Tigers vs. Oakland A's ball game, where the Cornerstone choir sang the national anthem.

Yet to say the Park West Foundation helps support this event is a gross understatement. When Albert and Mitsie Scaglione commit themselves to a project they give one hundred percent. In fact, the CEO of Cornerstone Schools, Clark Durant, has been so impressed by the Scaglione’s dedication that he wrote a letter on June 24, 2008 to the ArtServe Michigan Governor’s Arts Awards Committee nominating Park West Gallery for an ArtServe Award in the Exemplary Business category.

To summarize, last year the Cornerstone Schools were falling short of funds for their pre-k to 8th grade music and arts programs, as well as scholarship money that allows urban children to attend the schools. Ticket sales for the planned event with the Detroit Tigers were seriously lagging, and so—less than four weeks before the event—Clark Durant met with Albert Scaglione to explain how he was hoping to generate funds for the school. Within one day, Albert Scaglione committed himself to the project, saying, “I want to help the kids be able to go to your schools. Let’s just do it.”

According to Durant, “He mobilized his creative art staff; he called two well known artists; he developed new messaging and packaging; he organized an ‘800’ number call center, and he created and printed 900,000 highly attractive and compelling flyers that the Detroit Newspaper Agency, the Michigan Chronicle, the C&G newspapers distributed throughout the metropolitan Detroit area. Those efforts by Park West and Albert over the three weeks after our visit made success possible for the arts and for our children.”

The result was a record amount netted by a fundraiser at a ballpark: just over a million dollars! Durant credits the Park West Gallery for making this possible. He goes on to say that Albert Scaglione “never sought credit for his involvement!”

Reached by phone, Clark Durant elaborated: “Albert and his whole team are fabulous people and have been immensely helpful to us. They are the silent heroes in the lives of the over 1100 kids who attend the Cornerstone Schools."