Clockwise: 1) A picture of the band warming up from the balcony. 2) A professional photo of the TAC interns smiling for the camera. 3) Another shot of the stage before the guests arrived. 4) Alinah and Micah are at the same table, yay! Nice nails ladies! 5) Adonys, Micah, Joleyne, and Iyana taking a selfie at the event!

From the second we stepped into the lavish venue of 583 Park Avenue on April 24th, we couldn’t help but feel as if we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. Call it cliché, but it never truly occurred to us what happened behind the scenes to create what we call ArtsConnection. Attending the 35^th anniversary gala helped us connect the dots. After walking in, we were led upstairs where we spoke to various ArtsConnection supporters; and there were even some celebrities like Sarah Jessica-Parker and Jeffrey Wright.  After the cocktail hour, we headed downstairs to the tables where we enjoyed a delicious meal while watching an extremely inspiring and motivational video that summed up what ArtsConnection is all about.

The video focused on a few amazing teachers and principals who changed the lives of their students by introducing them to the wonders of the arts. It was the first time we had the opportunity to see it; and it was really touching to see all of the lives that our organization had impacted. It made all of the work we do seem tangible and real. TAC member Adonys was pleasantly surprised to find out that his building’s superintendent was actually in the video! It turns out that the super is the father of an autistic child who participated in an ArtsConnection program which presented their family with the opportunity to head out to Atlanta for the national Junior Theater Festival.

The night maintained a motivational note, with us raising more than $100,000 to continue funding the myriad of programs ArtsConnection makes possible.

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This blog post was collaboratively written by TAC members Micah Fedenko, Joleyne Herrera, Adonys Jimenez, and Sojourner Travis.