My name is Dolores "Lolis" García and have been at the center since '94 as a student and continue to dedicate my time to the center as staff and faculty. I now Co-Direct Son de la Tierra and am Associate Director for Student Development and Training. I see this place as my second home for a variety of reasons but the main one was that my family moved from Daly City to Richmond and had no family near like we did. When I became a student here and grew close to my teachers and other families it reminded me of being home. I believe in the mission of the center and want to continue to gift others what was gifted to me. I have learned and continue to learn so much from my culture at the center, something I believe I would have never gotten anywhere else, and hope to be able to offer more for the new generations.

Join us as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

Join us in fundraising to lift up the lives of our young people and the healing power of the performing arts. We need more fundraisers to spread the word as we collectively commit to support the Center's work and our 4,000 students and their families. My son, Jonathan was a East Bay Center for the Performing Arts (EBCPA) Diploma Student for 6 years and is shown during one of his performance. This is a unique Youth Dance, Theatre and Music program in the heart of the East Bay located in Richmond, CA. I ask for your kindly donation...any amount is much appreciated to help keep this program operational for many generations to come. Thank you for your time and your generous support! -Brett (EBCPA Alumni parent)

My name is Dolores "Lolis" García and have been at the center since '94 as a student and continue to dedicate my time to the center as staff and faculty. I now Co-Direct Son de la Tierra and am Associate Director for Student Development and Training. I see this place as my second home for a variety of reasons but the main one was that my family moved from Daly City to Richmond and had no family near like we did. When I became a student here and grew close to my teachers and other families it reminded me of being home. I believe in the mission of the center and want to continue to gift others what was gifted to me. I have learned and continue to learn so much from my culture at the center, something I believe I would have never gotten anywhere else, and hope to be able to offer more for the new generations.

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

This is the place that helped me become the musician I am today. Join me in fundraising to lift up the lives of our young people and the healing power of the performing arts. We need more fundraisers to spread the word as we collectively commit to support the Center's work and our 4,000 students and their families. At East Bay Center's main facility in downtown Richmond's historic Winters Building, we hold 80+ weekly classes in sequential music, dance, theater, and digital media skills, with 150 individual instrument lessons and 27 annual recitals for 600 students ages 3-18. Over 91% are youth of color. In addition, we provide professional wraparound support services and individual mentoring and college readiness resources to all of our 140 Young Artist Diploma Program students and their families.

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

I have a long history with the Center – a place that means a great deal to me. I have been a Board member for more than 10 years, but I have been involved with the Center for more than 25 years when my sons took sax and piano lessons. For more than 30 years, I was a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Richmond, and I have seen the impact the Center has had and continues to have on this community and on so many children and their families' lives. These last months have been so very difficult for so many. I, too, have felt overwhelmed and and at times hopeless...and then I walk through the doors of the Center (now virtually) - filled with so much energy, humanity, integrity, and purpose…and I smile and feel hopeful. Please join me in supporting East Bay Center for the Performing Arts and the 4000+ students and their families - a remarkable institution that, especially given the numerous recent events, needs our support more than ever.

The East Bay Center is a remarkable place of hope for youth and families in Richmond that celebrates inclusion of a diverse community and cultural traditions at a time when these values are so essential to preserve in our country. Over the last 8 years since I joined the board, I have witnessed the extraordinary growth of the Center as it realized its 50thanniversary, now providing over 4,000 underserved youth and their families with expanded in-school and on-site programs, student support and college counseling services. Since the onset of COVID 19, these services and support have been delivered virtually and have become increasingly vital to our students and families. Please join Teri and me in supporting the East Bay Center at this challenging time for the Center and the community it serves.

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families. On behalf of the Board, gaff, students, alumni, faculty artists and all those who call the Center home, thank you for your generous support. I look forward to seeing you on November 16!

I've known the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts almost as long as I've been alive, dating back to my first piano lesson at the age of 5. For me, the Center provided a creative outlet, world class music and arts training, exposure to diverse cultures and communities, and a network of mentors that shaped my path in life. For countless students, the Center is also a safe haven and a beacon of light within a historically underserved neighborhood in Richmond, CA. Through my experience as a former student for 13 years, and my involvement as a Board Member for the past 4 years, I've seen the impact that the East Bay Center has on the lives of the 4000+ students we serve and the community at large. While we can't absolve the world of all of its inequities at once, the East Bay Center is making a difference in the heart of our local community - one music lesson, one theater ensemble, one college application, and one student at a time. I've found no greater fulfillment than in giving back to an organization that invested so much in me throughout my childhood. I hope you'll join me in supporting the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and in doing so, helping current and future generations of youth in Richmond realize their full potential and contribute to the world around them.

The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts is an AMAZING place. It is a beacon of hope and change for the Richmond community (and beyond) through the power of art and creativity. As a Board member, I see the transformations of the students. I also witness the hard work and dedication provided by the staff and teachers to their students. It is heartwarming and remarkable. Now more than ever, this work is necessary and vital. The Center has continued to provide services remotely to keep students engaged. The Center is also working within the community to ease the pains of this pandemic. The annual gala is a time for celebration of the students, the teachers and the staff for all that they do for the community. As an in-person gala is not possible this year, please join me in supporting this wonderful organization as it continues to help the deserving kids in the community. No donation is too small and every donation is considered generous and kind. I'd be happy if you would forward this along to others that you think may be interested in supporting. Thank you for your generosity!!

I think of East Bay Center for the Performing Arts as a beacon of light in these challenging times. Its long history of putting community first, of opening myriad pathways for young people to find their gifts and realize their dreams, of being an anchor for Richmond’s well-being and an example for other cities—these all are vital elements of the Center’s reality and worth. But its deep understanding that all cultures have wisdoms and those diverse insights are the truest assets of the Bay Area and of the United States is what I think of as the most important treasure that the Center can offer to all of us—particularly in this moment when it seems like our differences are a weakness. They are only a weakness if we don’t see the value and strength of the best of our diversity. Please join me in lifting up the Center to shine its light ever more widely!

Hello my dearest friends and family. As each of you knows well, I have a huge space in my heart for East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, CA. You may likely recall my infectious passion for the kids who perform and study there. Furthermore, I know you have heard me state many times just how amazing they are. In fact, for those of you who have attended any of the past performances or Galas with me, it’s pretty common for me to get choked up while taking in one of these performances. For me, I am fortunate to be able to tap into their displays of their tremendous gifts, which prompts the tears. I also admit that growing up in a household and community which was rich with talent but unfortunately poor with opportunities, seeing these young people surrounded by people who love and support them toward achieving their dreams is an emotional experience. So, with all of that shared, please join me in ensuring that not even a pandemic can stop your generous hearts from assisting in helping these deserving kids from achieving their goals. As you might suspect, we won’t be able to have our 10th Annual Gala in person. However, technology and some creativity make it possible to keep up our tradition of generating support for the students. As a member of the Thompson-Cook team, you can help by donating and getting others to donate. No donation is too small and every donation is considered generous and kind. Now, if you would be brave and bold enough to start your own team, Let’s Go! The more the merrier. You can create your goal for your team and exceed it, if you can. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for what you are about to do!

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

Hi everyone! The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts has made such a tremendous impact on my family and thousands of families in my community. Alex graduated from the Young Artist Diploma Program in 2017 after six years of intense study and remarkable positive growth. Ethan took violin lessons at the Center until he left for college (and he still plays!). I have enjoyed so many wonderful years of being in the vibe of the Center as its neighbor (BayLegal is right next door), as a Member of the Board of Directors since 2012, and as an avid supporter. I hope you will join me in donating to this amazing institution which I wholeheartedly believe in. I have seen the Center transform the lives of so many young people and am inspired every day that I can be a part of its mission. As many of you know, this year marks my 40th birthday and we can’t party. Instead, I want to celebrate the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts’ 10th Annual Gala, and would be honored if you would join me in contributing to this online campaign. Alex would like to add: “the staff at the East Bay Center have always been family to me. This is where I grew up, and it still feels like home. I haven’t been in the Diploma Program for three years, but I know that the Center remains a positive influence on the community as a whole and on the bright, kindhearted individuals who visit. Through the Center, I have found an amazing community, life-long friends, and a passion to create.”

As an alumna of East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, I have firsthand experience of the transformational and healing power that arts education can have on a young person's life in Richmond. The Center supports over 4,000 students and their families, and is an anchor in our community. They provide not only world class training in the arts, but also critical support around academic assistance, college readiness, mental and emotional health and other basic needs through their COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and I invite you to join me as we collectively lift up our young artists in this moment.

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

Join Parents and Guardians of East Bay Center students in fundraising to lift up the lives of their young people and the healing power of the performing arts. We need more fundraisers to spread the word as we collectively commit to support the Center's work and our 4,000 students and their families. / Únase a los padres y guardianes de los estudiantes del East Bay Center en la recaudación de fondos para mejorar las vidas de sus jóvenes y celebrar el poder curativo de las artes escénicas. Estamos buscando más recogedores de fondos para correr la voz mientras nos comprometemos colectivamente a apoyar el trabajo del Centro y nuestros 4,000 estudiantes y sus familias.

Join us as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

EBCPA has been the greatest blessing in my life as a creative artist. They have mold me into not only a fantastic musician but a great person in life. Please donate so they can keep helping people like me become the best they can be! So Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

Dear Family and Friends, Please join me in supporting the East Bay Center for Performing Arts in Richmond, CA as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.