Chandler Center for the Arts Introduces New Program for Youth

March 1, 2012 - PRLog -- CHANDLER, AZ – [March 1, 2012] – The Youth Advisory Council, one of the newest programs launched by Chandler Center for the Arts, is actively seeking donations for their spring fundraising silent auction preceding the Center’s performance of Damn Yankees.  The group of 15 ambitious high school students from East Valley schools has diligently planned and will soon execute their first fundraiser, a silent auction aimed at collecting enough funds to sustain the efforts of next year’s council members.  The auction will begin one hour prior to show time at 6:30pm in the lobby at Chandler Center for the Arts on March 10, 2012.

The Youth Advisory Council (YAC) was founded in the summer of 2011 as a branch of Chandler Center for the Arts’ Connecting Kidz initiative, which offers children a myriad of opportunities to experience the arts.  Applicants between ages 13-18 were interviewed and narrowed down to a select group of fifteen members last September.  These fifteen teens then began their seven-month terms of service from October 2011 to April of this year.

The free of charge, teen-centered group focuses on community service, leadership skills development and overall appreciation of the arts.  Through the goal-oriented program, the council members gain increased knowledge of financial responsibility, career opportunities, small and large group dynamics, marketing and public relations.  The premier Youth Advisory Council hopes to hit a home run with the upcoming auction-style fundraiser, which provides “art for kids and by kids.”

With the ambition of accomplishing three main tasks: promoting and encouraging budding artists, supplying art to the community and generating capital for next year’s members, the “Art for Kids and by Kids” fundraising concept was born.  This concept proposes that any art created by a child, or any art created for the enjoyment of children is eligible to be included in the auction.  The YAC is seeking both physical art and performing artists, including everything from pencil sketches to singing quartets for hire, to present a total of 25 auction items.

“What we’re doing here with the Youth Advisory Council is essentially building board members… board members that will hopefully one day lead their own councils advocating the arts in their communities,” explains Michelle Mac Lennan, Assistant General Manager at Chandler Center for the Arts.  “During their terms, we learn what is important to these young art advocates, and in turn, they are able to participate on a higher level than any hypothetical scenario can offer them, with real life situations such as this fundraiser.  This hands-on experience will arm them with the understanding and tools they need to fundraise and support initiatives on their own in the future.”

The flagship team’s ultimate financial goal for the March 10th event is a total amount of $1, 500, in order to effectively pay it forward towards the 2012-2013 council.  

In addition to the auction, a raffle will be simultaneously facilitated.  Guests do not have to purchase a ticket to Damn Yankees to take part in the event.  Participants also do not need to be present to win in the auction or the raffle, and are invited to come and go at his or her leisure.


For more information on how to donate and get involved with the Youth Advisory Council’s event, please contact Michelle Mac Lennan at (480) 782-2688 or Michelle.MacLennan@chandleraz.gov.


To purchase tickets to Damn Yankees, please visit online at www.ChandlerCenter.org, call Chandler Center for the Arts at (480) 782-2680 or visit the Chandler Center for the Arts Box Office.

Twitter: @ChandlerArts
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChandlerCenterfortheArts

CALENDAR LISTING INFORMATION


Event:  Youth Advisory Council Fundraiser/Damn Yankees
Date/Time: Saturday, March 10, 2012, Fundraising begins @ 6:30pm, show begins @ 7:30pm 

Tickets for Damn Yankees: $36, $42 & $46. Ages 17 & under: $15.
Venue: Chandler Center for the Arts 

Venue Address: 250 North Arizona Avenue, Chandler, AZ 85225

Venue Website: www.chandlercenter.org
Box Office Phone: 480.782.2680

Online Photo Gallery: http://chandlercenter.org/press/artist-links.html
Interview Request Form: http://chandlercenter.org/press/request.html
Venue Contact: Judi Johnson, Marketing Coordinator judi.Johnson@chandleraz.gov
Phone: 480-782-2674

Located on the northwest corner of Arizona Avenue and Chandler Blvd, the Chandler Center for the Arts is Arizona's leading collaborative arts institution dedicated to reaching out to audiences of all ages with the highest quality of artistic work to continuously inspire audiences and artists to dream, to discover, to create and celebrate.
The Chandler Center for the Arts serves as a creative driving force, educational resource, and economic engine of entertainment vitality in Chandler by making visual and live performance arts accessible to the entire population.

 

About Chandler Center for the Arts

The Chandler Center for the Arts is jointly owned by the City of Chandler and the Chandler Unified School District.  The Chandler Cultural Foundation was contracted in 1989 by the City of Chandler as a means to facilitate programming and fund development for the Chandler Center for the Arts.  
As a nonprofit organization, the Center relies on a variety of funding sources to help underwrite internationally acclaimed artists, educate young audiences, create important community programs and maintain our remarkable facility. Ticket sales and other earned income do not completely cover the costs of the Center’s numerous programs and education offerings. Only support from individuals, corporations, foundations and our public partners can make these programs possible.
Membership contributions sustain a spectacular array of services and programs and make Chandler a better place to live and visit. To become a member or to purchase tickets with no per-ticket fee, visit the Web site at www.chandlercenter.org