Her dream began in a village in Uganda. A dance major in college, she saw the ability to communicate without words through dance and the arts. That seed of a dream took root, and after college, she studied dance ministry at Hillsong College in Australia. She returned with a massive dream where, like the one-for-one model, affluent area arts/community centers would help to support those less fortunate in the US and around the world. “She” is my daughter, Lauren, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
Lauren moved to Harlem and worked as a dance teacher in an elementary school for 7 years. During that time, the nonprofit Greenhouse Arts Center was born. Their mission: “to offer a welcoming place of hope where creativity thrives and the arts are a vehicle for the community to grow together and make a difference locally and globally, connecting with other cultures and raising future leaders.”
Greenhouse is and has been making an enormous difference in the lives of students in Harlem. And they are at a crossroads. Even though Greenhouse operates on a shoestring budget, finances are extremely limited. The teachers at Greenhouse are amazing artists who would be paid a lot more somewhere else, but they are committed to the vision and dream. They have seen first hand the impact they are making in their students and community.
Greenhouse needs your help now. To help meet their financial need, they are hosting their first benefit concert next weekend (11/12 in NYC, 11/13 in NJ). If you are local to either event, please click below to purchase a ticket. The events will feature dance, singing, basket raffles, and refreshments. Buy your ticket today – they will not be sold at the door. If you are busy or not local, you can contribute via the link below (you’ll receive a link to view the show afterward).
Beside an evening of great entertainment, with your donation, you can be guaranteed of a few things:
- You will be making a difference in the life of a child.
- Your money will be well spent: all the proceeds go to student programming.
- Your donation is tax-deductible.
- You are contributing to the growth of a future world-changing enterprise.
- You’ll feel good having done something very good!
Here’s the link to donate
Here’s the link to buy tickets
Here’s a 6 minute video about Greenhouse (grab a tissue!)
#DreamCreateThrive
