Happy Giving Tuesday, everyone!
In this season of gratitude and giving, we encourage you to consider contributing to the arts education for young artists, both locally and nationwide. At Mountain City Center for the Arts, we are privileged to support two non-profit Arts Education organizations - the Beyond the Stage Foundation and the JumpStart Theatre program.
The Beyond the Stage Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by Coty and Pete Forno, owners and directors of MCCA. Beyond the Stage is dedicated to enhancing the lives of children and adults through the arts. The mission of the organization is to provide professional performance and artistic opportunities, quality education, personal growth, and financial assistance to the community of artists in Allegany County and surrounding areas. The goal is to establish a professional artistic atmosphere for students to grow as artists, innovators, professionals (in the arts and otherwise) and community members. The focus is to enhance, enrich and inspire to be successful in the performing arts, but to also give them the tools for success Beyond the Stage.
As part of the Beyond the Stage Foundation, we have established the Peter B. Forno Scholarship Fund. This scholarship was developed to assist students in Western Maryland and Southwestern Pennsylvania in pursuing educational opportunities in the arts. The Peter B. Forno Scholarship Fund already provides free classes and opportunities for MCCA students every semester, and with your contribution and continued support, we hope to increase the amount of assistance we can provide in 2023 and beyond.
Your tax deductible donation can be made via PayPal at https://www.mymcca.com/beyondthestage or checks made payable to Beyond the Stage can be mailed to 16 Maple Street, Frostburg MD 21532.
While we continue to provide arts education opportunities to local students and families, MCCA also provides substantial support to the JumpStart Theatre program - a national program funded by the Educational Theatre Foundation, in collaboration with New York City-based companies iTheatrics and Music Theatre International. The JumpStart Theatre program creates sustainable theatre arts programs in middle schools where there previously were none. Participating schools and teachers receive training, materials and budget support to produce their first full-scale musical production. The support continues for three years until the
program becomes self-sustaining.
JumpStart Theatre aims to engage as many students as possible in all aspects of theatre, preparing them for high school, college and the workforce by instilling 21st-century skills of collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity. Since partnering with the Educational Theatre Foundation in 2019, MCCA has helped to establish musical theatre programs in five middle schools in the Tri-state area - Northern Middle School, Southern Middle School, Turkeyfoot Valley School District, Salisbury Elk Lick School District, and Aurora Elementary School.
JumpStart Theatre happens with help from you! Your can learn more about JumpStart Theatre and make a tax deductible donation here: https://schooltheatre.org/programs/jumpstart-theatre/
Arts Education is not possible without community support! Every little bit helps provide opportunities for young artists, fosters their creativity, and helps students grow as artists and humans. We appreciate your generosity and are wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!