OUR HISTORY
FOUNDED IN 2008
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Co-Founded by B.J. Pleasant and Mark Bigsbee in the city of Canton, Ohio in 2008, Community Arts Experience, Inc. (C.A.E.) was developed to provide art-infused youth and family-centered learning experiences; after noticing the lack of affordable and well-structured arts-infused educational programming for underserved youth within the community. C.A.E. initially began offering performing arts (Music, Theatre, and Dance) and business management programming for youth ages 13 through 18; however, after much research to effectively combat chronic absenteeism, behavioral problems, and low course grades, C.A.E. expanded their reach to mentor a younger population starting at the age of seven.
C.A.E. received its 501(c)(3) status from the IRS in 2009 and after extensive planning, began offering arts-infused innovative programming to the public in 2010. C.A.E. launched its theatre arts program the summer of 2010, which lasted six weeks of instruction with a student enrollment of 50 underserved youth. "C.A.E.'s Adaptation of ‘The Wiz" musical production sold out both performances with a total of 2,200 people in attendance. Because of the great success of the production and improved social outcomes of the participating student body, C.A.E. began receiving multiple requests from local schools and surrounding community organizations to provide arts enrichment and later media and technology (S.T.E.A.M.) programming. The following year, C.A.E. shocked the community yet again with another successful original musical production entitled C.A.E.'s "Phat Albert" with over 75 participating students within the Stark County Ohio area.
To continue meeting the need within the Stark County Ohio community, C.A.E. expanded their curriculum from a focus of four modules to 10 modules of technical instruction, to promote distinctive experiences for youth with various interests’ in careers within the arts community and beyond. The following modules are what C.A.E. believes to be the “heart” of curriculum development: Music Appreciation, Theatre Arts, Fashion Design, Multimedia, Dance, Culinary Arts, Invention-Art, Health & Wellness, Technology and Business Management.
In the fall of 2010, C.A.E. contracted with Garfield Academy of Canton, Ohio to provide ground-breaking arts-infused workshops to improve student academic achievement. Scantron® Performance Test results received from the Garfield Academy administration for 70 students Grades 5 - 8 who actively participated in C.A.E. beginning September 2010 to January 2011, showed an overall combined average increase of 34 percent in Science, Reading, and Math. Building on the achievement and success of program implementation, professional development opportunities for school, community and art organization instructors were later introduced as an additional service in 2012.
At the onset of fiscal year 2013/2014, B.J. Pleasant recommended - with the approval of the board, to suspend programming (unless otherwise approved by the board of directors) to restructure the agency, and to relaunch the improved brand fiscal year 2016/2017. The goal for restructuring the agency was to create strategies to grow brand equity through brand extensions and sub-brands to further strengthen and build the C.A.E. franchise, and most importantly, reduce the cost of new business development... making C.A.E. a strong competitor in their market. “C.A.E. Worldwide” is the new moniker to accurately define the brands global framework and design.
"C.A.E. WORLDWIDE" DIVISIONS:
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Performing Arts Division
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Technology & Media Division
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Health & Fitness Division
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Education & Development Division
C.A.E. MILESTONES:
2013 Developments:
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Partnered with Younger Horizons to license Online Student Platforms:
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Established Fiscal Sponsor Services
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Launched C.A.E. Gospel Program - to provide services to faith-based organizations and church’s
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Developed “For His Glory” 21-Week Character Training Curriculum
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Launched new C.A.E. website
2014 Developments:
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C.A.E. of Pennsylvania, Inc. branch was established in Mercer County, PA
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One Kingdom Heart House, Inc. – PA Subsidiary
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Transitional house for women and their children
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2015 Developments:
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New domain: caeww.com
2016 Developments:
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C.A.E. Education & Training Center, Inc. – PA Subsidiary
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Provide K-12 Industry, TRIO Federal Program Training, and Professional Development educational opportunities.
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Partnered with the “Buffalo Soldiers Association of West Point” in New York
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National Equestrian Program Launch
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Launched C.A.E. Health History Program – to provide health screenings, nutrition courses, etc.
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Created C.A.E.’s National Family Engagement Initiative, in partnership with the National PTA
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Partnered with “The Symphony Method” National Music Program
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Created the CBE Collaborative Advisory Board for the D.C. area
2017 Developments:
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Developed the Queen B.E.E. (Business Women's Economic Enterprise) Program
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Developed The Divergent Project - A Cognitive-behavioral Change System
Since the restructuring of the C.A.E. brand, expansion has taken place, adding new locations to introduce C.A.E.’s holistic model to interested students, participants and community needs nationwide.