American Woman’s Jen Bartels and Yellowstone’s Kelsey Asbille Give Back on Viacommunity Day
by Paramount Network Staff
Originally published on Blog.Viacom
For the past 22 years, Viacom’s annual worldwide Viacommunity Day has given back to those in need. On Friday, April 20, thousands of employees across Viacom and its brands once again volunteered to make a difference in communities around the world, from supporting L.A.’s homeless to organizing gun-safety projects in Florida to restoring outdated facilities in New York City.
Joining the Viacom employees for one project at their Times Square headquarters was talent from Paramount Network’s forthcoming originals: Jen Bartels of American Woman (premiering June 7) and Kelsey Asbille of Yellowstone (June 20). The pair sat down with the other volunteers to decorate bags that students at Free Arts NYC can use to carry home the art they create in the program.
“Thank you to Viacom for introducing me to Free Arts NYC. It’s really important for the youth to have access to arts in their daily lives. I definitely want to get involved in their mentorship programs.” – Kelsey Asbille (Paramount Network’s Yellowstone)
Free Arts NYC is important in New York City, where one in three public schools lacks an art room. The program partners with schools in these communities to “create access to the arts and exposure to creative careers” for students. They do this by offering free art days for students and families as well as art parties and free museum days.
Bartels shared that she was, “really proud to be a part of a community like Viacom that takes time out to support others, especially our youth. Sharing our creativity to brighten the lives of the children of Free Arts NYC was extremely fun and fulfilling.”
The volunteers decorated bags in a variety of colors, and with inspirational quotes and artistic designs that would appeal to children. Everyone learned new ways to work with a group that is involved in the community.
Asbille gave a big thank you to Viacom, saying, “It’s really important for the youth to have access to arts in their daily lives. I definitely want to get involved in their mentorship programs.”
Free Arts NYC and similar groups provide easy outlets for volunteering throughout New York City. Whether volunteers are interested in passing out materials, assisting the youth, or becoming a mentor, the group is always open for those who want to lend a hand.
While Viacommunity Day comes around once a year, Viacommunity enables employees to continue to give back to their communities more often, by hosting volunteer opportunities year-round through its All Good All Year initiative. You can follow @Viacommunity on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to see what our volunteers are up to and to view photos from this past Viacommunity Day.
About Viacom
Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling entertainment content - including television programs, motion pictures, short-form content, games, consumer products, podcasts, live events and social media experiences - for audiences in 183 countries. Viacom's media networks, including Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, VH1, TV Land, CMT, Logo, Channel 5 (UK), Telefe (Argentina), Colors (India) and Paramount Channel, reach approximately 4.3 billion cumulative television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. Paramount Television develops, finances and produces original programming for television and digital platforms.
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About Viacommunity
Viacommunity is the global umbrella covering all of Viacom’s social impact and purpose-driven initiatives. By leveraging Viacom’s culture of creativity, Viacommunity offers programs that empower, engage and inspire our employees, audiences and company to make a difference in the global communities we serve.
