Getting Arty

Tonight I took a step in getting back into a Performing Arts organization! No, no, don't worry I am not leaving my new job that I love very very much, but I am helping to start a new non profit!

I posted here before about the changes that are happening at my alma mater, Lincoln High School. Since then a group called the Lincoln High School Performing Arts Coalition has been put together and I joined immediately. Tonight was the first meeting of the Coalition. Our immediate goal is to raise the money to cover the expenses for two of the four classes that have been cut for the 2010-2011 school year, the classes being Musical Theater and the second Jazz Choir. Also on a larger scale we want to establish a non profit endowment that would help to firstly protect the program should any additional future cuts happen to the Music, Drama, or Dance departments, and secondly to grow the department.

Right now the Coalition is broken into 4 committees, Events, Public Relations, "Little Man" (i.e. alumni) Fundraising, and the new Endowment. I joined the new Endowment committee figuring that I can put my experience in the nonprofit environment to use. Our mission is to get the new non-profit established, in terms of actually doing the 501(c)3 paperwork, writing bylaws, mission statements, and a strategic plan and to begin pursuing larger gifts.

I am so excited about being involved in this! Not only does it support a place that is incredibly special to me on so many levels, but I get to have a small taste of being back in non-profit arts (and education). I didn't leave Ballet San Jose because I didn't believe in the arts, in fact I think that arts programs are integral in a well rounded life and I think that the program at Lincoln in particular is amazing!

Plus I get to hang out with old friends and aquaintances and make new friends, always a good thing!

Tonight I met a woman who graduated in 1995, before I started at Lincoln. She said I looked very familiar to her and was able to connect me to Daniel! He was a freshman when she was a senior, but she was still able to say I was familiar because I look "exactly" like him! Crazy! At Lincoln I can still be known as Daniel's little sister. People always tell us Bowdens that we all look so much alike and are so identifiable as siblings. When I told Jacob this story he laughed and said that he never sees that. He sees that when we are together its easy to spot us as related, but to him we Bowdens are all unique. I think that he just doesn't want to think about Daniel when he looks at his wife, so he's blocked it out. Ha!

Also related to the Lincoln Coalition, there will be a gala performance of Into the Woods, which Lincoln hasn't done since Daniel was a freshman in 1995. Its really exciting! A concert style performance put on by alumni only! Some of the 1995 cast members are even coming back to do it. Jacob will be involved on the technical side, of course, and I will be heling out in the background for sure, you know I won't be singing (eek!). For those of you nearby who are interested save the date of July24th, there will be two performances, a matinee (2PM) and an evening (8PM) with a gala reception in between. I think tickets will be $50 each. I will post a link to purchase tickets when they are available.

And for those of you not familiar with Into the Woods (which has been my very favorite musical since I saw it at Lincoln 15 years ago), here is a snipet for you...