NEWPORT BEACH, CA.- The Orange County Museum of Art, the premier visual arts museum in Orange County, announces a new partnership with Target® that will enrich the lives of the local community through arts education. The grant establishes Target Free Second Sundays, offering free admission to OCMA on the second Sunday of every month through the end of 2009. Target Free Second Sundays welcomes all visitors and includes monthly themed activities for families, hands-on art projects, free guided family tours of current exhibitions, and discounts on new family memberships.

“Target’s support gives us the opportunity to drastically expand on our free programs at a time when people, more than ever, can benefit from the inspiration and enjoyment that museums offer,” said Dennis Szakacs, director, OCMA. This grant is part of ongoing efforts by Target to strengthen families and communities throughout the country. Since opening its doors, Target has given 5 percent of its income to organizations that support education, the arts, social services, and volunteerism. Today that translates to more than $3 million every week.

“At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with the Orange County Museum of Art as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

Additionally, Target gives through signature programs that are designed to inspire learning in children and families. Programs include:
▪ Take Charge of Education®, a school, fundraising program;
▪ Target Field Trip Grants, a program that helps educators bring learning to life for students through the distribution of grants;
▪ Ready.Sit.Read!, a program dedicated to fostering a lifelong love of reading in children at an early age;
▪ Target House®, which serves as a home away from home for families of children receiving life-saving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® in Memphis;
▪ Target Volunteers, a program where Target team members and retirees annually donate more than 350,000 hours of time to more than 7,500 community-based projects