16 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GO? WE REMOVE BARRIERS TO THE ARTS. Sustaining the Mission of the Arts Infusing the arts into the life of Lehigh and the community. Fostering lifelong patronage of the arts. Integrating educational resources to enhance human experience. This is the mission of Zoellner Arts Center — and it’s something Oldrich “Ollie” Foucek III ’72 ’05P ’09P firmly believes in. He is the current chair of the Zoellner Advisory Council, and his recent leadership gift to establish the Zoellner Advisory Council Director’s Endowment Fund will help ensure that a young audience has access to transformative art experiences at Lehigh. Foucek says his early exposure to free-thinking artists and writers from his grandparents’ Bohemian homeland and travel to renowned European museums and art galleries in his childhood instilled his appreciation of the arts. This upbringing cemented his belief in the importance of artistic expression to the maintenance of a free society. The endowment fund that Foucek launched will help Zoellner meet programming and operational needs, particularly to underwrite the cost of transporting elementary, middle, and high school students to events at the arts center. His philanthropy inspired fellow Zoellner Advisory Council members Marc Falato ’87 and Anne Kline ’81 to make gifts to the fund. During the 2022-2023 academic year, plans are to apply the funds towards transportation for schools and nonprofit organizations in Lehigh and Northampton counties, to reduce barriers to experiencing the arts. In a typical year, Zoellner Arts Center pays for 18 to 35 school buses to transport students to its programs. 25 Years of Zoellner Arts Center Throughout the 2022-2023 season, Zoellner Arts Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the legacy of individuals and families whose vision and generosity helped establish a center for the arts at Lehigh University. Robert ’54 and Victoria Zoellner ’15GP, longtime benefactors of Lehigh, deepened their commitment to the university in the early 1990s with the leadership gift that established Zoellner Arts Center. Today, Zoellner is one of the premier performing and visual arts centers in the Lehigh Valley, providing students and the surrounding community with unique opportunities to learn, discover, and share cultural experiences. Since her husband’s passing in 2014 and in view of their shared belief in the importance of the arts, Victoria Zoellner, an honorary trustee, has continued to generously provide annual support that makes access to the arts possible.
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