Tag Archives: Bonding Experience

Foster kids go places in 2018

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WE HAD SUCH A GREAT YEAR WE DIDN’T POST MUCH!

The winter took us to BAM film festival where we had 3 large groups of children and their caregivers enjoy awesome films!  

We applied for Corcoran Cares Grant in the winter and we got word in the summer that we will RECEIVE it in 2019! Thank you for Wendy Stark for helping us through the process.  

We took large groups to Teknopolis …  …. Dance Africa ….  (our children are not in these photos as we are not allowed to use them on our website!  The photos you see on our website we take and cover their faces, or show others around them at an event, or get photos from the events themselves! This is just another reason our population is so invisible.  It is considered illegal to use their likeness because their parents have not approved it and they are under 18 and are wards of the state. In other words the state is their parent and they will not approve them being used on the web. It is considered exploitation.  So we do our best! News organizations do have exceptions…which is why the more news coverage #FOSTERCARE can get .. the better!) We also sent one emancipated student to a Cherry Lane theatre acting class! A small but powerful dream come true! THANKS for squeezing us in Reed!  🙂

This was just our first half of the year!  Stay tuned for our second half.

 

Cheese and Nutcrackers

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What better way to celebrate the Christmas Holidays but to have Cheese and Crackers?  Chuck E Cheese followed by The Nutcracker at BAM!

Mark Morris Dance Troup’s version of the holiday staple The Nutcracker is pure fun to watch in it’s 1970’s cartoon inspired interpretation!  We brought 7 little girls and their Foster Mom’s for a full day’s outing.  Starting with a party at Chuck E Cheese that included some political inspiration:

Followed by the Ballet The Nutcracker including the girl’s favorite number The Snowflake Dance:

Then some sibling bonding time (the two sisters are split up in two different foster homes so being able to have them share a fun day together was a special treat for FYD.)

Memories are the one thing the children can always take with them.  Thank you Dewonnie Frederick, BAM and all the caregivers who made the effort to get the kids together for the day.  Thank you to Richard Kendall for providing funds for Chuck E Cheese!

Master Harold and a Little Girl

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Master Harold and The Boys at The Signature Theatre provided an amazing opportunity for one of our clients to bring her foster family and some of her extended church group ‘village’ to see a play which provided a long post-show discussion about race and feelings about race.

Wow, right?  Some in the group had never been to a play like this but our little client set a shining example of how to absorb a heavy theme like this and then express “sad feelings” about racism during a discussion in the lobby afterwards.

Then we got lucky and Sahr Ngaujah stopped to take pictures with all!

Once again, Colleen Hughes and The Signature Theatre has our deepest gratitude!

Theatre Builders Camp for Dream Kid

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Summer 2016 brings one of our Dream Kids to a very special 5 day camp at Riverside Church.

theatre-builders-group

What joy at the end of a 5 day 9-5 theatre camp.

Prep in Pink Sparkles

Prep in Pink Sparkles

Kids arrive …  and the wonderful teacher, Madeline Bender (who is an opera star!) guides the group to write, rehearse and perform a mini-musical!

Pizza Party Rehearsal

Pizza Party Rehearsal

Our client invited me in to an after-camp theatre pizza party where we watched and video taped our client doling out parts to her extended family … many who were visiting from out of town!  As usual, we can not show her face but the family was AMAZING and we all played parts in a sketch called ”The Real Store”.  One of our clients relatives noticed that the sketch was actually ‘real deep’ … which it totally was.  The kids had come up with a concept where children went to a store and asked for “rock candy” and literally got ROCKS for candy.  A request for “gummy worms” got them REAL worms.  The moral of the story?  BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!  Deep, right?

What a great learning experience for these children.  Then after each sketch the children sang a wonderful song that super-sillified their sketches.

Rehearse Hands Down

Perform Hands Down

 

Rehearse Hands On Hips

Perform Hands On Hips

Rehearse on Point!

Perform on Point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of an enriching and super fun time new friendships were made and unique experiences were had by all.

Goodbye Campers

Goodbye Campers

We hug Ms. Bender goodbye and dream of next year!

Hugging Ms. Bender

Hugging Ms. Bender

Special thanks to our sponsors Mady Julian, Richard Kendall and John Dempsey and to the family of our client who took time and energy to make this all happen seamlessly and with great joy and love! You are all heroes to our mission of providing enriching experiences and dreams come true for our wonderful children and families. July 2016.

 

Rockettes-and-Family-Bonding-Time

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The Rockettes Spring Spectacular does more than razzle dazzle!  July 2016

spring-2016-spectacular

Thanks to Donald Yonker (one of our patrons) … we were able to send the fab four female contingency of one of our foster families to see the most awesome Rockettes!  Apparently we made the dream come true of not only our little child client, but her entire family!  This is one of the reasons we are so devoted to making theatre events happen.  Our outings provide a super fun, special, safe place for a family to relax and have an enriching time together that they can TALK about later.  It’s a safe haven for an amazing bonding experience that also provides a memory that might not be in the budget of our hard working and AMAZING foster families.

This is why we love doing it:

rockettes-thumbs-up                                      rockettes-wonder

family-bonding-time

Oh.  This was the favorite thing of the group….THE FASHION SHOW!

rockettes

Christmas At BAM

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Hard Nut hosts holiday for one lucky family!  December, 2015.

THE HARD NUT

A cascade of wit and wintry beauty featuring Morris’ lyrical modern dance choreography, this lavish,  love letter to a classic story from the straight-laced 1890s to the swinging 70s, with raucous parties, dancing G.I. Joes, whimsical costumes, and a Waltz of the Snowflakes like no other.

THE HARD NUT 1

 

Tchaikovsky’s complete original score, performed live by the 53-piece MMDG Music Ensemble drives this colorful retelling, which playfully preserves the warm spirit of an essential holiday tradition.

 

Thanks to our most wonderful and generous benefactor Dewonnie Frederick, we were ably to send one lucky family to this enriching experience!  Once again we can’t show you our lucky child … but here is that happy smile beneath our hand hewn hide-a-face box!

hard-nut-BAM