Dear Friend,
YOU DID IT. Your immense generosity has taken us above and beyond our $15,000 year-end goal!
Your investment makes us want to leap from our chairs and dance, like a young Upstream Arts school program participant named Grace in one of our favorite stories from 2014:
Normally timid, quiet, and glued firmly to her chair, Grace surprised everyone when she suddenly raised her hand toward the end of class one day. The group was working on a dance activity, in which students invented choreography inspired by a painting they had created earlier. "Staff 'ooh’ed and ahh’ed' when they saw her hand go up," wrote our Teaching Artist in a report. "I worried that would intimidate her not to try, but she went ahead. Oh did she ever! She chose her inspiration line on the painting, then broke into a pirouette and full splits. Talk about ending the class with a bang!"
Likewise, you have ended our year with a bang - and your support is one of our other favorite stories from 2014. Our hearts are overflowing with the knowledge that you believe in the value of creating safe spaces in which individuals with disabilities like Grace can access the arts, take risks, develop vital social/emotional and commmunication skills, and shine. Thank you!
Any amount, be it $10 or $100+ per month, is significant and offers us a whole new level of organizational sustainability. Your recurring support allows us to plan for our programs in a different way, ultimately reaching and impacting more people at a greater depth. And while most of us here in the office might not quite make it into the splits, the inspiration that comes with your partnership sure makes us want to keep trying!
With best wishes for all that lies ahead,
