News and Events

Announcing this year’s Founders Day Honorees

Each year at Kennedy Heights Arts Center’s Founders Day celebration, we reflect on the people who have helped shape our journey—those who have given their time, talent, and treasure to ensure that our mission continues to thrive. This year, we are proud to honor two extraordinary individuals whose leadership, creativity, and commitment have made a lasting impact on our organization and the community.

Guiding Through Challenge, Building for the Future:
Robert Ramsay

Robert Ramsay has championed the Kennedy Heights Arts Center (KHAC) since its founding in 2004—first as a board member of the Pleasant Ridge Community Council, and then as KHAC’s board treasurer from 2019 to 2024. In recognition of his extraordinary leadership and generosity, Robert was selected for the 2025 Kennedy Award.

His expertise as a CPA helped guide our organization through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he led financial strategy and helped secure vital resources including PPP loans and federal relief funding.

Robert says it was amazing to be part of the Arts Center during COVID: “During a time of so much stress, the Arts Center was able to bring joy and entertainment throughout the neighborhood including our work with Play in the Park, the traveling Blink exhibit, and the arts kits that were delivered especially to youth and seniors at home.” Another stand-out memory during the pandemic was the Center’s Black Lives Matter outdoor exhibit. “It was one more example of the Arts Center responding by, of and for the community, especially during tough times.”

Furthermore, he helped lay the foundation for our future. Robert played a key role in establishing the Arts Center’s endowment, creating a pathway for long-term sustainability. In addition to being a trusted advisor, his enthusiasm for the Center’s programs is unmatched. He’s especially excited about the continued growth and success of the youth jazz academy. He says, “I’ve learned so much from the Kennedy Heights Arts Center that helps me be a better neighbor and helps me grow as a volunteer to serve other organizations. A lot of things give life meaning, but serving neighbors through KHAC’s mission is top of the list!”

Framing Community, Capturing Connection:
William Jones

William Jones tells us, “Photography has always been how I see the world. Kennedy Heights Arts Center has become the place where that vision found its community.” In recognition of his outstanding dedication and impact, Will will receive the 2025 Volunteer Award.

A Kennedy Heights resident since 2012, Will’s involvement with the Arts Center grew naturally out of his connection to the neighborhood. He officially joined the board in 2019, serving until 2024 and offering both his leadership and his creative talents as a professional photographer.

Will says the Arts Center has been “a place for creativity, a place to see the world a little differently, and a front-row seat to the talents of artists from all walks of life.” Like Robert, Will was deeply moved by the Center’s Black Lives Matter exhibit. “I was there documenting the event, and I photographed a mother and her son. She had her arms wrapped around him, and on the back of her t-shirt it read: ‘I’ll fight… so he can breathe.’ Capturing that image made me realize that Kennedy Heights Arts Center is a truly magical place. It’s where I found my own creative voice, and where I’ve been surrounded by the voices of so many other artists. From that moment on, I didn’t just volunteer there—I embraced it.”

Will truly has embraced the Arts Center and its mission, stepping up time and again to capture striking moments that tell the story of the community. He says he looks forward to watching the Center continue to grow and seeing the difference it continues to make.

We hope you will join us at Founders Day on Tuesday, May 19th as we celebrate Robert, Will, and the many individuals who make our work possible.

The event is free to attend. RSVP