Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Funds And Fun

Friends!

We just wanted to give you a brief update on what’s going on this semester with The Step Right Up Program. We have now expanded and are working in two schools...and we jumped in head first…

Mary Meyer and Bonnie Pipkin are teaching the program for the first time with high school students at The Green School. This is in right in Williamsburg on Graham and Maujer in Brooklyn. Watching the students unleash their creativity has been incredibly inspiring. We’ve written a teenage, Shakespearean, romantic comedy called Lies to Dream—complete with mistaken identity, and a haphazard spell caster. Over at PS 15, we hired a new teaching artist, Miguel Mendez, who is teaching with Step Right Up’s co-creator, Anjali Suneja. PS 15 is the elementary school in the lower east side that we have worked with since the first program in 2007 and are committed to providing the program to for years to come.
The play we're creating over there involves moon workers who chisel at the moon rock day in and day out, and some explorers that land there to stir things up!

Now, back to the part where we jumped in head first... We jumped in head first because this program is important in our community. It is giving opportunity to kids in communities and schools without many creative outlets. Theater making is a great instrument as there are so many different ways for the students to express themselves in a positive way. So we jumped in… because we all grew up with arts education and we all know how important it is…

We'll just be straight up… as it stands now, we’re still trying to raise $2,864 to get us through the rest of the semester. The party we threw in October was a great success for funding one program but we’re still inching to get funds for the second program.

This is a difficult economic climate in which to make donations and we know that. That is why we’re only asking that those that can will consider making a donation this month to carry us through to the end of the year in both schools. That's right, we're aiming high and aiming to raise the rest of this money by the end of this month... heck, this week if we can swing it!

Now, we always find a way… with or without the money… but it always helps to rally up our community and work together on this important cause.

We’re asking for donations of $25-$250 to help close the gap. It’s a lot to ask, we know… but if you are in a position right now, we would be so incredibly grateful.

Donations are accepted online through our mother company, Arts for All. Just make sure you earmark it for Step Right Up!

click here:
Arts For All

If you do make a donation at this time, please email Bonnie
bonniepip@hotmail.com and let us know that you’ve done so. That way we can make sure when it gets to Arts for All, it’s going to our program.

Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season and the new year… and expect an invitation to the performances at both schools coming up!!

Here's to fightin' the good fight!

Cheers!