Dear Fellow Junior Theatre Alumni,
The ice bucket challenge was a great idea…that I didn’t have.
After tossing around several ideas for what the Junior Theatre Alumni version of this might be (“The Aqua Net Challenge?” “The Spirit Gum Challenge?” “The Strike Potluck Jello Challenge?”), I have decided to spare you the goo, and appeal to your sincerity.
Like you, I am a Junior Theatre alumnus. This organization was a big part of my childhood (and now it’s likely to be an even bigger part of my old age!). This past year has been rich with amazing flashbacks of how much this organization was responsible for my development as a young person. Today, the faces are different, but the heart of this organization has remained more similar than you might imagine. I am convinced that if you walked into the Casa del Prado today, it would be only a matter of minutes before you found the young equivalent of yourself. I’ve found a few of mine.
Despite our unfortunate 1950’s name, Junior Theatre has gracefully changed with the times and continued to meet the needs of a changing San Diego. We’ve gone from being “nifty ” to “awesome.” Initiatives such as our tuition assistance and ticket subsidy programs, inclusion training for teachers, and sensory-friendly performances (for kids on the autism spectrum) and ASL interpreted performances (for the deaf community) ensure that no young person with a desire to experience theatre, either as a student or as an audience member, is ever turned away due to need or ability. I am really proud of that fact.
I don’t have to tell you that Junior Theatre is a nonprofit. Each year, funding becomes more and more challenging to procure, but Junior Theatre has an amazing history, rich with tens of thousands of alumni whose lives have been touched by the program.
It’s Giving Tuesday, and “giving” has never been simpler. With our new online donation platform, you can make a small monthly sustaining donation that will keep giving all year long. If you don’t have cash, you can still participate by forwarding this note to five of your Facebook friends.
DONATE NOW!
AND AS A SILLY BONUS – if we can raise a mere $10,000.00 from alumni, I will take the “Strike Potluck Jello Challenge,” and post a video on Facebook to prove it.
Please consider making a donation today!
Sincerely,
Jimmy
Executive Director
P.S. Mark your calendars for June 2017 – San Diego Junior Theatre’s 70th Anniversary. Plans are currently percolating for how we will celebrate this in a big way. To stay informed, sign up for our email list at juniortheatre.com
