Cheese and Nutcrackers

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

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!

Surprise Gift From a Celebrity

When you least expect it, a friend of Foster Your Dream and a celebrity to boot, thinks of us and reaches out by sending a surprise gift of books to one of our clients. This is what Mavis Leno did!  As usual, we can not show you the face of our super happy recipient but the books displayed above came to the home of our client all the way from a bookstore in England!  What a delight.

Included in the package was a handwritten note from Ms. Leno explaining that these were her favorite books when she was a child and she wanted our special girl to enjoy them as well.

This generous kindness, with a special personal touch from someone who has a very public profile, made a great memory for one of our children.

It may seem like a small detail but by making a foster child feel special and worthy, a donor like Ms. Leno can boost the pride of a young person in being a foster child. I have seen over and over again how an opportunity like theatre or books that can be shared with an entire foster family, can increase the confidence of a child that their placement in the home is welcome and secure.

Bravo and our deepest thanks to the kindest of benefactors, Ms. Mavis Leno!

Foster Your Dream to be a Writer

Robert reading poetry at 13th Floor Storytellers Event

When Foster Your Dream saw Robert Williams perform at a 13th Floor Storytellers event, we were blown away with his talent and what he had to say about being in the foster system.  So when Ben Brandstein had a writing class that we thought might be a good match for Robert, we reached out to offer him a scholarship.

Robert has dreams of becoming a screen writer and his voice is very powerful. We continue to try to foster his dream to become a writer.

Thank you to Ben for sharing your expertise.

Ben Brandstein at Poetry In Motion Event

Thank you to Molly Miles for introducing us to Robert!

Robert Williams Molly Miles courtesy of !3th Floor Storytellers

FYD teams up with Signature Theatre for Toy Drive

Toy Drive for Foster Kids Spearheaded by Theatre Group

TOY DRIVE!

Foster Your Dream teams up with Signature Theatre in New York City for a Holiday Toy Drive that will continue to give all year long! For several years, foster children, foster families, and group homes have been invited to see live shows in this exciting theatre complex near Times Square. With the holidays approaching, the staff decided to do a Toy Drive for their favorite patrons … Dream Kids from Foster Your Dream!/

What’s unique about this Holiday Toy Drive is that it will last beyond the holidays. Donated toys will be brought from the Theatre to the Children’s Center in New York City. The Center is where children who are removed from their homes … often in the middle of the night … must go if there are no foster families available to take them in. Often these children are in crisis, even traumatized. The toys collected will be available for the child when he or she arrives at the center. FYD founder Sue Wolf says “We hope that choosing a toy and taking it to their foster home will provide a joyful distraction and some warm comfort to the children we are so passionate about serving!”

Ms. Wolf continues, “Foster Your Dream aims to provide extras such as prom dresses, theatre trips, tuition for dance class and karate lessons, to name a few. There are over half a million children in foster care, and we’d love to make a dream come true for each of them. With the help of such generous partners as Signature Theatre, we are one step closer to making that a reality.”

If you would like to donate, please bring a new, unwrapped toy to The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 W 42nd Street during the designated donation hours from now until December 18!
DONATION HOURS BEFORE EVERY SHOW!

DONATION REQUIREMENTS

Signature is accepting new, unwrapped, any ages toys. Signature will not accept clothing or donations that are used, perishable, or dangerous.

http://www.signaturetheatre.org/shows-and-events/Now-at-the-Center/Foster-Your-Dream-Toy-Drive.aspx

Christmas At BAM

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