Sunday afternoon’s fundraiser was a heartwarming experience. We enjoyed an amazing performance by Travis Grice from Western Albemarle High School, and his band. The set list held everyone’s attention and the energy of the band was infectious! I understand that Travis has a second engagement coming up, and we are not surprised!
We were overflowing with donations of wonderful food, and we will take this week to express our thank yous! Our staff chose to read poetry from their own teen years, each expressing how much they would have loved an organization that supported their own literary arts in their youth, and the audience was quite appreciative!
The highlight of the afternoon was, of course, our student’s own poems. We have all been renewed in our commitment to the Teen Writing Center, and are so grateful for all the support we have received! Hearing our students read so eloquently was a moving experience.
Raffled posters were popular, and we had help with the raffle drawing from a special young student, Hazel, who was so excited to be drawing the raffle tickets that she placed them quietly and safely in her pocket, leading some of us to experience a slight elevation in pulse upon shaking the bag and finding it empty, before she tossed the tickets back into the bag. Hazel was nonplussed. She exclaimed to her father once home, “Daddy, I am famous!” Indeed she was! Hazel can be an honorary teen any time she chooses.
Travis Grice and his mother have a recording of the event, and we will edit that and share some of the music and a reading or two when they are finished processing both the film, and possibly the Thanksgiving Holiday… stay tuned!
We really couldn’t be more pleased, and we are very excited to announce that we have the chapbook funded and some lovely, lovely volunteers and donors who have joined us. Watch us grow!