The Foundation for the Performing Arts Center (FPAC) has received a $1.5 million grant from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust, the largest cash gift in FPAC history. In appreciation for the gift, the Foundation Board will rename Sidney Harman Hall as the Harold Miossi Hall, FPAC officials announced Wednesday.
“This gift is intended to support existing FPAC programs that are making the arts ever more accessible to young people,” said Howard Carroll, trustee for the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust. “A key pillar of our mission at the Miossi Trust is to provide assistance to organizations like the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center that focus on the arts and youth development.
“Harold Miossi was passionate throughout his life about how important it is for all members of our community to have access to the arts, and this gift supports Mr. Miossi’s vision,” Carroll said.
Foundation Board President Trudie Safreno said, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate Harold Miossi’s legacy. And it has been an absolute joy and honor to work with Howard Carroll on this project.
“This generous gift ensures stability for cherished programs like the School Matinee Program, which this year will enable 10,000 students from all over San Luis Obispo County to see professional live-arts programming at the PAC,” Safreno said.
FPAC Executive Director Leann Standish said, “We are very grateful to the Harold Miossi Trust, not only for this gift, but also for the many prior years of the Trust’s steadfast support of the matinee program.
“We’re also grateful for Howard Carroll’s recognition of the value of our programs and his desire to inspire others to consider their own legacy intentions,” Standish said.
Carroll said, “Indeed, we hope this gift inspires others to consider their own legacy gifts in ways that will help guarantee the future of a program that they hold dear. That’s also why we have set a schedule of 15 years as the length of time it will be named the Harold Miossi Hall. We want to encourage a new donor to step forward and continue the tradition of philanthropy that originally helped make the Performing Arts Center a reality.”
The FPAC’s main auditorium was named Sidney Harman Hall in honor of a generous donation of audio equipment when the PAC originally opened in 1996. Representatives for the Harmans returned the naming rights to the Foundation in 2014. “HARMAN International is dedicated to honoring Sidney Harman’s legacy with support of the performing arts around the world, and we have great pride in our connection to the Performing Arts Center of San Luis Obispo,” said David Glaubke, Director of Global Corporate Communications, HARMAN Professional Solutions. “We are pleased that the tradition of giving to such an important cultural center is being carried on by the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust, another of San Luis Obispo’s generous leaders who will keep the PAC accessible for generations to come.”
About the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center
Established in 1986, the Foundation provides and promotes an extraordinary and accessible center for the performing arts that elevates the arts in our community, in collaboration with our partners, California Polytechnic State University and the City of San Luis Obispo. For more information on the Foundation, its mission, values and programs, please visit: http://fpacslo.org
About the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust
The Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust provides assistance to organizations seeking to improve the quality of life for residents of the City of San Luis Obispo and surrounding area. Harold J. Miossi, who was born and raised in San Luis Obispo, was an ardent environmentalist, rancher and California Probate Referee for 35 years. He died in 2006. The Trust focuses on six key areas: animal-related, education, environment, the Catholic Church, fine arts and youth development. Since Mr. Miossi’s death, the Trust has made a total of more than $6.1 million worth of grants in these areas. The Trust works to provide multi-year support for local organizations based on the programs’ missions and impacts on the community. In taking Lead Sponsor positions, the Trust seeks to ensure a program’s long-term success by eliminating some of the stress of fundraising so that an organization’s leaders can focus on improving their programs’ quality and impact.
Ninety-seven perecent of the funds that have been disbursed and pledged by the Trust have been invested in San Luis Obispo County, where Harold Miossi made his lifetime home. For more, https://www.miossicharitabletrust.org