MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (January 14, 2010) – The Reatha Clark King Award for Excellence and Youth Motivation through the Cultural Arts was developed by VocalEssence to celebrate and recognize those who provide the resources to help organizations come closer to their vision, and those who are in the field empowering youth through direct contact, making a way for them to be as successful as they can be.
 
The fourth recipient of this annual award is Laysha Ward, president of Community Relations and the Target Foundation. Since 1946, the Target Corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs that support education, the arts, social services and volunteerism nationally and in local communities.  Additionally, Target’s volunteerism efforts encourage and provide opportunities for more than 350,000 team members to give thousands of volunteer hours every year.
 
On Sunday, February 14, 2010, Ms. Ward will be presented with the Reatha Clark King Award for Excellence and Youth Motivation through the Cultural Arts on stage at the VocalEssence WITNESS concert at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Artist Ta-Coumba Aiken creates a one-of-a-kind framed art glass tile which is presented to the winners as a memento of the award.

“We recognize Laysha Ward for her invaluable leadership as President of Community Relations and the Target Foundation. Under her guidance, over $3 million in grants is distributed each week to arts, education, and social service organizations nationwide—the impact of this commitment to philanthropy is seemingly immeasurable,” said VocalEssence Artistic Director Philip Brunelle.
 
Laysha Ward oversees Target Corporation and Target Foundation’s domestic and international grant making, community sponsorships, cause marketing initiatives, volunteerism and other civic activities. Ward, who started her career with the Target Corporation in 1991, serves on the board of the Executive Leadership Council, a national membership organization for African-American executives and is also a member of The Links, an international women’s service organization.
 
Past winners of the Reatha Clark King Award for Excellence and Youth Motivation through the Cultural Arts are Ossie Brooks James, principal of Lyndale Community School in Minneapolis, Patricia Harvey, former superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools, and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan C. Page and Diane Sims Page, co-founders of the Page Education Foundation.
 
For additional press information, contact VocalEssence Director of Marketing and Public Relations Jennifer Bauer (612-547-1459, jbauer@vocalessence.org).
 
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