Send a child from The Streets to The Stage

In 2004, I was gifted the opportunity to launch a Youth Performing Arts Academy at the non-profit theatre company I founded, The Amun Ra Theatre. It wasn't a "radical" idea; rather, it was pretty simple: If you teach kids how to act out on stage, then they tend to not want to "act out" on the street corner.

We all just want to be seen, yeah?

Over the course of nearly a decade, we were proud to look back and see that 100% of our kids graduated high school. We were able to accomplish this in a 1500 square foot building on Clifton Avenue in North Nashville that was formerly abandoned. That's the picture of one of our classes above. These kids are shining brightly now (and even my middle daughter, who is sleeping in her mom at the time of this picture).

Working with those in need has always inspired me, and it's a part of my life's mission. When the issue of Homelessness and displacement was rising to the top of the discussion in Nashville, my home city, almost four years ago, I launched a Gofundme Campaign to build tiny homes for the homeless . It shattered it's goal, and we built Nashville's first Micro-Home Community, putting the tiny home model into play as a solution for both homelessness and affordable housing.

Just over three years ago, this issue of Youth Violence emerged in our growing metropolis, and our young people felt forgotten and left out. So I launched another GoFundMe Campaign to build a center to heal a community . With the funds we raised, we secured a property and renovated it into a 4,300 square foot, community-centered outreach space to serve our young people and families who are in need.

And now we're here, and I need your partnership, one more time. I'm doing something bold, innovative, and--most importantly--proven successful.

In a few weeks, we are launching the Infinity Center Youth Performing Arts Academy!

We've secured professional artists as teachers, using the same pragmatic model we used with the theatre years ago. Young people ages 7-14 will be instructed for 6 weeks, 5 days a week, all day, in Creative Writing, Acting, Vocal Music, Dance, and Visual Arts. We're scheduling guest speakers, seeding a Community Garden, and tweaking the curriculum to meet the needs of the leaders of the future.  In the renovated space, we have classrooms, a performance and dance area, a full kitchen, and a video and audio production studio. We've got the space; we just need your help to fill it.

Our Goal is to have up to 40 Kids in our first class. My personal goal is to have up to 50% of them on full or partial scholarships, so that the poorest among us don't have to suffer from their family's lack of resources.

I'm asking you to join with me to provide Scholarships for needy children.  A full scholarship for a child for the entire summer program, which runs from June 6th to July 12th, 2019,  is just $900.00 (Many summer camps can run upwards of $250/week. Ours is half that and our teachers are discounting their rates as a contribution). But it gets better: even if you can't kick in enough for one or more kids, we can all kick in something.

So here we are, people. This Scholarship Fund will provide direct support for children who don't have it coming from anywhere else. If you can help, with a contribution of even $5.00, we can provide life-changing Arts Education to our young people who need it the most.

Take a moment out, check your account, and give what you can. I set a modest goal of $15,000 so that we can ensure we have enough to seek out the neediest kids and enroll them quickly, before school ends and we risk losing them to the streets. Anything above the goal will go directly to assisting those kids who are on a sliding fee scale as well. Please give with priority, because school ends in the next few weeks.

We're in this thing to win it, and we're going to change the world one bright young star at a time. At the end of the Summer, should we reach our goals, you will be invited to see an Extravaganza production featuring the kids you helped send to this empowering program.

Make your contribution today, share it with a friend, and let's send some awesome future stars to an awesome program that will affirm their hidden gifts.

I appreciate your support. We've asked for it before; people have given; and look at what we've done with it. This time, we're playing for keeps--because our children are the gift that keeps on giving.

Thanks in advance, y'all. Let's go!

Click. Donate. Share.

Sincerely,

jeff obafemi carr, Co-Founder
The Infinity Center

Kenetha carr, Co-Founder and Executive Director
The Infinity Center Youth Performing Arts Academy