It's been a busy summer for us here at the 'Mack! So what have we been up to? It's already almost October, yikes! Read on for a summer roundup of our activities.
Camp Merrimack 2010This year, we rolled out two weeks of twice-a-day sessions of
Camp Merrimack. In total, we had 60 students attend the workshops, double the attendance from 2009! We are so proud of each and every student.
Camp Merrimack is open to children with special needs both physical and emotional, including Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, autism, ADHD and more. Many of these students participate in our Dance Your Dreams! program as well.
Project UPThis summer marked a major milestone for us: the launch of our newest piece of the Johnny Stallings Arts Program,
Project UP.
Project UP is a performing company for teens with developmental disabilities including Down syndrome. Our initial company of 8 students began the program at a July summer intensive, where they learned performance numbers from
Wicked,
The Wiz and
The Wizard of Oz.
Project UP will continue during the 2010-11 school year. We'll keep you posted when our wonderful students have their next performance!
The Mixer 2010We held our first-ever fundraiser on Friday, August 21 -- a groovy party to celebrate the Johnny Stallings Arts Program for children with special needs. Thanks to all you partygoers and donors, we raised over $32,000 for the program! The event was an incredible success, and we couldn't have done it without you. Missed The Mixer? Don't worry, it will be an annual event! Plus, you can check out event photos on our
Facebook page.
Our Dance Your Dreams! and Project Up students have been busy all fall preparing for their big performance next week! We're so proud to present our first original holiday performance, written and directed by our Outreach Coordinator Hayley Henderson.
