Support A Dream 2 Joffrey Ballet School
Thank you for looking at my link and watching my video. Your support will be applied to financial needs for 6 weeks Summer Intensive Performance Program at Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. They are as followed;
"¨1.) Tuition ($1,800 this includes the Merit Scholarship Molly received)
"¨2.) Housing in NYC ($2,500)
"¨3.) Food ($1,500)"¨
4.) Uniforms ($400)
"¨5.) Airfare and hotel ($2,000)
"¨6.) Extra Money for unexpected expenses ($350)"¨
Grand Total is $8,550
"¨I realize the total of these amounts is well over the amount we are trying to raise. My family and I are prayerful all my needs will be meet."¨"¨
Hi!! My name is Molly Wicker, I am writing to share little about who I am, and tell you my goals in Dance. I hope that after hearing my story, you would consider helping me achieve my goals. But first, I would like to "Thank You" for taking the time to read my story and watch my video.
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I started dancing when I was 3, that's when my parents enrolled me in a dance class. I would not only dance in class, but all around the house, the yard, at the mall, at the grocery store, and through corridors. I was so happy, that my parents could only smile. "¨"¨
At age 9, I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). My Doctor suggested that I continue my dance as an additional form of therapy. You can't image how excited I was to hear that news. Dance was the one thing I loved more than anything. It was now something that I was supposed to do!
My parents were a little concerned that with all of my learning issues, that this would be more than I could handle at such a young age. After lots of scheduling, discipline and hard work, they began to see that dancing was such a wonderful release for me, and that it did help with my school work."¨
I am now a sophomore in high school and carry a 3.4 GPA. I still battle with the challenges of my diagnosis everyday in all forms of my life, from school to just general teenage stuff, which I am sure you all have been through as well. "¨
Ballet has become so much more than therapy for me. It allows me to feel free and in control of at least one aspect of my life. My parents are now divorced after a 10 years marriage, my father never viewed my dancing as anything but a little girl's hobby, I feel that now, maybe he will see, my love for dance is much more.
My plight for my passion of dance has come to this:"¨"¨ Over the last 2 months my mother & stepdad have taken time off from work to escort me to nine ballet auditions for summer intensive programs. So far, I have been accepted to seven out of nine. We are all very excited. Making a decision like this is tough, where will the summer take me?"¨"¨
Dance is like music to my soul, the oxygen that allows me to breathe. I have worked for my ballet instructors over the years to help pay for my classes by teaching the "little ones," like I was not so long ago.
This year I started working at a ballet/dance store helping the girls and boys (their mom's and grandmother's) get the right fit for their shoes. I help show them everything from preparing their first pair of soft shoes and where to properly place the elastic, to breaking in and securing ribbons on their first point shoes. The looks in their eyes when they can talk to someone who has been where they are, and lets them know that it only gets better and better, is such a thrill for me.
After I tell them that it is going to be okay, everyone falls. The important thing is to get up and keep trying. Their scared and nervous smiles seem to turn into laughter and happiness. "¨"¨
I never realized at my young age all of the sacrifices that my family has gone through to help me achieve my goals. With the economy not going so well, finding good secure work has been a challenge for my mom, who is an artist, as well as my stepfather, it has been a struggle, to say the least.
The training that is needed for me to further my goals in ballet is pricey. I have pretty much exhausted the training options available in my home own, if I want to excel to the next level. I was not truly aware of the cost for summer intensives until I started filling out forms for the auditions (which also had fees). That made me hop up and go to work to help my family with some of the costs.
Even being able to help pay for my own pointe shoes helps my family out (pointe shoes cost $98. I usually have to get new point shoes about every three months.) I wear them until my instructor tells me not to, because it could be dangerous. I have been known to wear them too long and ended up in a cast for 6 weeks.
I cannot work enough to afford the intensive training that is needed. I need help with the down payment the school requires in order to hold my place. I cannot do this without help, in order to meet the deadline, which will be by the end of May."¨"¨
I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime! I have been accepted to Joffrey Ballet School's Summer Intensive and the Trainee Program. They have granted me a Merit Scholarship for half of my tuition to this year's Summer Intensive (This does NOT cover housing and food).
Joffrey Ballet Schools Ballet Intensive is located in Manhattan : New York City!! Joffrey Ballet School was founded in 1953 by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino. In more than fifty years of existence, the Joffrey Ballet School has remained on the forefront of American dance education. Graduates of the School have gone on to dance for major companies, both in the United States and abroad. This is a wonderful opportunity for me, and I am very excited to take on the hard work it requires."¨
The summer program is 6 weeks of intense ballet training. Within this program, I have been accepted into the Advance Performance Track. There will be a performance at the end of July. I am excited to have the opportunity to add on my dance resume that I performed with the Joffrey Ballet School. This is an AMAZING opportunity, but nearly impossible financially for my family and me. "¨
This is why I am coming to you for help. I am in need of $5,900.00, so I can attend the full 6-week Summer Intensive Program. I am prayerfully hopeful that you will find it in your hearts to help me accomplish my dreams. Any amount will help and be extremely appreciated.
I want to Thank You in advance for your kindness.
