Our rafters are ringing with giggles, screams of joy, and awe-struck "Oooooo!"s, and that's just the way we like it here at ETC during this time of year. As you can imagine, things are chaotic and wonderful as we throw open the doors twice a week and welcome nearly 200 children to see Snow White. If you've read this blog for very long, you know what my feelings are on the subject of the Fairy Godmother Program, but this year we have a new perspective - that of our Education Outreach Intern, Lara Rhyner. Lara will be posting a blog about her observations and experiences in the next day or so, but I wanted to break the radio silence on my end to say thank you.
Thank you to our FGM sponsers, Bill and Susan Friedlander, for making it possible for this beautiful and well-loved program to continue. Thank you to Jeniffer Busch at the Oswald Company for coordinating and donating most of the snacks we provide to these students (healthy apply slices this year!!!) and to Meijer, who gave us Gift Cards to help us fill in any gaps. Thank you to our patrons who drop a few dollars (or more!) into the donation baskets the cast hold out in the lobby to off-set the costs of supplying buses to those schools who need them. Thank you to the ArtBus program, which supplies the schools who qualify with transportation. Finally, thank you to the teachers, actors, tech crew, designers, volunteers, and ETC staff who go above and beyond during this busy season to provide a little magic and warmth to the world.
It may sound corny but, for me, the Fairy Godmother Program marks the official start of the holiday season. It reminds me of kindness and sacrifice and magic. I'm the lucky one who gets hugs, and stories, and hand-made cards from grateful kids. This program just MAKES my holiday season, and it is still one of the major reasons I love to work here.
One of our kids today even came in costume!
