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Company: Tuscarora Yarns, Inc.
Headquarters: Mount Pleasant, North Carolina
Industry: Textiles
Company Size: Small (annual revenues of less than $50 million)
“Art mimics life and it makes us better people with a renewed respect for others and the world we live in.”
–Martin Foil, Chairman of the Board and CEO
Objectives
To enhance its commitment to improving the community, to enrich arts education opportunities for elementary schoolchildren and to heighten interest in the arts among other local businesses.
Process
- Tuscarora Yarns collaborated with the Mount Pleasant Elementary School and a local sculptor to create Ancient Images – a permanent bronze relief mural depicting Southeastern pre-Columbian Native American Life. It was created by a local sculptor, and is surrounded by individual clay tiles created by the students. Each student was asked to research, draw and sculpt his or her own clay tile, featuring an aspect of Native American culture.
- To bring a business dimension to the project, Tuscarora Chairman and CEO asked each student to sign a “contract” indicating they would do his or her very best work in designing a tile, in exchange for which the student was paid a commission fee of $10. Checks were presented to each child during a special mural unveiling ceremony.
- For its Centennial anniversary, the company flew Tuscarora tribal chiefs, their families, and some of the tribe’s top performers to Mount Pleasant. The company organized and funded a tribal celebration that enabled Mount Pleasant Elementary students to hear Tuscarora stories, see dances performed in native costume, and share their heritage.
Results
Tuscarora Yarns received considerable media coverage for its support of the mural project, and was recognized as a company that is committed to its community and its citizens. Students involved in the program learned about responsibility and business ethics, and the program heightened interest in the arts and encouraged other companies to support the arts.
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