Watch our virtual Gala event on Sept 24th: https://app.mobilecause.com/e/m6ygiw I feel incredibly lucky that I get to go to work everyday at this wonderful organization. In my two years here I have been so inspired by the dedication of my coworkers, and the creative spirits of the youth and community. At this time it is more challenging and more important than ever to continue to engage and connect with youth. I am proud of the ways East Bay Center has been stepping up, through remote classes and learning plans, offering academic support and mental and emotional support to our students, and direct financial support to families who are facing critical need. To me, the Center embodies life affirming, community building power of the arts. Even if you cannot make a donation at this time, please join me by watching our virtual Gala event here on Sept 24th: https://app.mobilecause.com/e/m6ygiw

I love this organization so much! They have been bringing arts into the lives of kids in the Iron Triangle for over 50 years. In this moment in our world, keeping arts alive and inspiring youth are more important than ever. I hope you will join me in supporting the life-changing work the Center is doing.

Join the East Bay Center Staff team 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.

Join me as we stand fearless and declare that our kids in Richmond deserve access to affordable arts education. Did you know that without our organization, hundreds of students would have little to no in school arts education, little to no free/low cost after school performing arts opportunities and little to no chance to hone their creative voice and perform on stage locally? 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 an opportunity to support our youth, who are mostly youth of color, in an impactful way. Any amount is welcome. Let's help these students find their creative voices and change the world!

Most of the work I've done throughout my life has been rooted in the belief that music and the arts bring about positive transformation - and that all people, regardless of where they come from, have the right to develop their artistic selves. This is my third year as the Director of School and Neighborhood Partnerships at East Bay Center, where we are working to create relevant, accessible arts education to children and youth in Richmond who wouldn't not otherwise have the opportunity. I couldn't have found a place more aligned with own values. There is so much need here in Richmond, especially right now. We have shifted all our programming to virtual classes throughout the year, and I've been seeing how much our students want and need the opportunity for creativity and connection. Please join me at this event 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 and be a partner with EBCPA to give hope to 4,000 students and their families. Let's work together to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts during our biggest fundraiser of the year.

My name is Charlene Smith and I started working with East Bay Center as a development consultant in 1989. I became a full-time staff member in 2008 and my current title is Senior Development Officer. I have worked with many Bay Area arts organizations, large and small, over the years. As a professional, I continue to be impressed with the integrity and focus with which the Center approaches its programs, finances, community relationships – never losing sight of the organization's mission. As a person, I love the sound of the building when the classes, lessons, and rehearsals are all in session, teenage students rushing up and down the stairs, little ones attending their first dance class in their tights and tutus, and professional faculty artists standing right there in the hallway – making a lovely hub-bub! The Center community has become a truly important family for me. If you're able, please help me to give back to this family by making a donation – right here and right now!

Dear friends and family, It’s been a very important year for us at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts! As we support our students and families through the pandemic, fight for equity and justice, and uplift beauty and joy through the arts, we remain deeply committed to our work – more focused and dedicated than ever – working towards the mission, values, and vision of this amazing place. The youth and families in Richmond need our support more than ever as they face a challenging educational system with severe budget issues, COVID, societal oppression and injustice, and the need for the daily support and love that all children and youth deserve. This fall semester, despite the pandemic, we will offer over 60 classes a week online, 100+ private lessons, student support services, programs/classes in the Richmond schools, and an emergency fund for families in need for over 4,000 students. If you feel so inclined to support this work, please join us next Thursday, September 24th at 5:30pm for our annual Gala (virtual and free)! You can RSVP for the event or simply make a donation to the Center by following this link: https://app.mobilecause.com/e/m6ygiw?vid=bihxa From all of the staff, faculty, students, and families at East Bay Center, we thank you for your continued support over the years, and wish you and your family health and happiness during these uncertain times. Much love, - Mac

Welcome to my fundraising page! For the past 3 years, I've had the honor of working at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. Our mission is to help young people re-imagining the world around them and fostering healing through the arts. This mission is what I believe in and the mission of which I've witnessed its power in action in the short time that I've become part of the East Bay Center family. The young people we work with, teaching artists and all other collaborators are truly inspiring and are paving the way towards a more equitable, peaceful and creative way of life. Any contribution would mean so much to me personally, and to the community of East Bay Center. Your donations help support free performing arts education both in school and after school, college preparation, tutoring, mental health support amongst many other things. More importantly, I want to use this moment to share how special this organization is and give you an inside look at the beautiful community at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts.

The East Bay Center has always been my second home and has taught me a lot about ‘life’. I have been working with this amazing organization for over nine years and I realized that sharing my God-giving talent, culture and experiences with my students, colleagues and the communities seem to be soul satisfying. As we prepare to raise funds to support our students and their families in this surreal time, I humbly ask my family and friends to help provide our students a chance at a better education, a safe space to learn world music, dance and theater, and a future they never envisioned. Please 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 been teaching in, and working with, Bay Area public schools for 13 years, bringing music and brain science education to thousands of underrepresented students. The music programs I started in Oakland Unified Public School district middle schools were defunded despite their newsworthy success, due to a deprioritization of the arts. I came to the East Bay Center because, in 52 years, the Center has never stopped supporting the artistic and personal development of underrepresented Bay Area students. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, we offer over 100 private lessons a week. Now that school is starting again, it feels great to be back in the classroom (coaching virtually) to see the students again.

East Bay Center's Masters in Social Work interns help us provide enhanced support services to our community. Our Student Support Services Department has provided intensive levels of assistance to students and their families – including emergency services/assessments coordinated by our on-staff social workers and cash distributions from our own Emergency Fund to local families experiencing immediate crisis for food/housing insecurity, as well as challenges with legal, medical and government aid access.

I Am An Artist Campaign: Dance Faculty, Ezra Bristow East Bay Center Celebrates Juneteenth 2020 through the Mafanikio Program by Mafanikio Enrichment Coordinator, Ezra Bristow Growing up with an educator for a mother, I learned two things: 1) "We can change the world, one child at a time." 2) "There is no reason why children and families should have to pay beyond their means for a quality education." I've loved the arts since I was five years old, so I know firsthand how integral the arts are to a child's education and development. Experiencing the performing arts builds their emotional intelligence, critical thinking, confidence, competence, and resilience. Experiencing the depths of cultural arts that take place at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, deepens their connection to their own history, and instills a pride and agency in their own abilities. I am a performing artist because I am a witness to the joyful, healing and restorative power of performing arts. I am an arts educator because every child deserves access and opportunity to experience that joy. I call upon all of my friends, family, peers, and community to join me in fundraising to support and inspire these amazing young artists, some of whom you can see in the video above. Now, more than ever, youth and young adults need the arts, and they need a safe place to learn, explore, question, and express themselves. Now, more than ever, we need East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, because here our students learn to appreciate how deep their roots go, and explore how wide the world of possibilities are open to them. Thank you for donating to ensure that these future leaders and visionaries have a place to grow and blossom.

I have been a staff and faculty member at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts for over 11-years and currently serve as the Director of Student Development and Training. The Center means a lot to me because I get to work with amazing and talented young people from Richmond and across the Bay. I believe in using arts as a vessel to transform lives and the work we do at the Center speaks to that. Through this work, I have seen students who have dreamt of going to college and how the Center’s programs have helped them achieve their dreams. As a performing artist, the Center has helped me grow artistically. Being far from home (Ghana) and raising two little daughters, the Center gives my children the opportunity to learn more about my culture, other cultures, and me as a performing artist. Join me with your support to continue to create a safe space for our young people to explore their talents especially during these tough times where funding for the arts has considerably been cut. My goal is to engage my closest friends and family to donate towards a goal of $1,000. This amount can help fund the tuition of 10 students performers and transform their lives.

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.

Those of you who know me have heard me speak of the importance, effectiveness, and joy that the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts brings to the students, community, and the faculty. I have been a member of the faculty for over a decade and I hold our mission(s) very close to my heart. Due to the pandemic, we are unable to hold our Fall Gala in person. 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. Thank you for your support.

Just this minute, as I try to figure out how to express the importance of arts education and the need for your support, I'm listening to the song, Together Forever, by the 90s R&B group, Shai. It's not terribly well known, but, for me, it's a great example of beauty and impact; bear with me. I was thinking, after I finish this appeal, I'll jump on the piano and sketch out the chords so I can sing and play it—partly to appease my mind which has repeated the song for decades without an attempt to bring it to full fruition; partly as a treat for my sister who's had her hands full lately. You see, it's one of her favorites, so I sang it for her, a cappella, at a her wedding when I was a teenager. I was thinking it would be a nice treat for her to hear on video as we live 2,000 miles apart, and her days aren't getting any easier. I know it would bring us both great joy, and that's just one song! That's the power of the arts; they feed the spirit, and there's not a whole lot in the world than can do that universally. Still more, I'm thrilled that I've been taught the skills to share the pleasures of music, and it's all the sweeter that I get to teach the same to youngsters so they can derive its benefits and give the same gifts, be it R&B, Classical, Jazz, Musical Theater, Folk, Latin, Spirituals . . . the list goes on. I've been on the receiving end of support to give me the ability to learn and perform the arts, and I feel a duty to spread my talents and instill this knowledge and ability in others. It's a beautiful cycle of community! It requires the support of the community, though. Please make a donation to East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and enjoy the 10th annual gala, celebrating a 50+ year legacy of supporting arts education, inspiration and new visions for our communities. The arts allow all to empower, unite, diversify, uplift, and create. Speaking of which, it's time for me get to work making some music. Thank you!

Join me as we gather virtually to lift up our young people and the healing power of the performing arts at this special moment. I am grateful to both the staff and students of the EBCPA for rallying together to keep our collective spirits raised through music and community. Each day I am inspired both by the current students that overcome every obstacle to come to class and share their voices and the alumni out in the world making the Center proud. As our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is critical that we collectively show up to support our 4,000 students and their families.

East Bay Center faculty artists specialize in a wide range of disciplines andcultures of dance, music and theater from around the world. Many are trailblazers in their field, have taught at the Center for a generation or more and hold advanced degrees in their art forms. They provide the students with state of the art training and are mentors in every sense of the word. Join us in fundraising to lift up the lives of our young people and the healing power of the performing arts.

As a teaching and performing artist, it is a privilege for me to be able to share the art of music making with young people of the East Bay. During this uncertain time, I believe it is critical to maintain connections of positivity within communities. I know of no better way to do so than through music, dance, and theater. This is a critical time to support and maintain these connections and show up for the EBCPA and their 4,000 students and families.

This Thursday is our Annual Gala, a fundraiser which would normally be an exciting event that we could all enjoy in person. But like so many things these days, we have had to move it online. And like many organizations, we have had to change how we continue to do our work for the community. The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts provides a safe space for local kids and teens to express themselves through many different art forms, and provide arts programming for our local public schools. Your support will help us continue to provide the services we do to thousands of kids and teens in our district. Times are hard all around right now, but any contribution you could make would make a meaningful difference in so many lives. Thanks for your help!

Hello, Carolyn Walter here. I am sending you this message on behalf of East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, a great Richmond-based nonprofit with a 50+ year history of community outreach through arts education. I have been a member of the instrumental music faculty at EBCPA since 2015: East Bay Center is a place where young individuals are given a real chance to learn and grow as artists and human beings. Through the organization, I teach in local school programs, lead small educational ensembles and offer one-on-one tutoring to scholarship students. Currently, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts is working to raise funds for the coming year, as we face the challenges of the current times. Want to know more about the organization? 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 been teaching piano and chamber music at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts for the past 12 years and it has been an amazing experience working with my wonderful colleagues and the incredible staff. But my most rewarding moments as a teaching artist have always been with my students: seeing their growth and helping them nurture their talents as they achieve their hopes and dreams of becoming world-class artists. Their enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance have inspired me to be the best mentor I could ever be for these talented students. I am proud to have been a part of this phenomenal organization and I hope that you can help me carry their mission of developing young artists and bringing the arts to their communities. With this pandemic, it has been a challenge living in a new normal, but the world will never be the same without the diversity, the positivity and the power of uplifting the human spirit through music and the arts. Thank you for your support!

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.

East Bay Center faculty artists specialize in a wide range of disciplines andcultures of dance, music and theater from around the world. Many are trailblazers in their field, have taught at the Center for a generation or more and hold advanced degrees in their art forms. They provide the students with state of the art training and are mentors in every sense of the word. Join us in fundraising to lift up the lives of our young people and the healing power of the performing arts.

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.

In these turbulent times with various challenges in all of our lives, we seek something to throw our anchor onto that will hold our boat fast and not allow it to drift, something that is strong and will enable us to rest awhile and gain sense of our bearings, which is how we have found ourselves reaching out to tell you about this organization that we have supported for many, many years. It’s one way that we can see what we can do today to make a lasting social change. This is an organization that is run by our very good friend, Jordan Simmons, husband of MaryAnn Zahorsky, who Shari went to Tam with. We give our donations here because this is where we can actually see how our help has made tremendous differences. We don’t ever have that questioning feeling about where our donations are being used because we have seen the enormous differences made in the 20+ years. They REALLY do walk-the-talk. Please DO NOT feel obligated in any way to donate as we understand these are trying times for everybody. We are just helping to reach out to our community to help our wider community because even though we are in the same storm together, we are all on different types of boats. The EBC is a registered 501 c 3 non-profit and donations are tax-deductible, Tax ID #94-1692171.

This is a very important year for us at East Bay Center! As we support our students and families through the pandemic, fight for equity and justice, and uplift beauty and joy through the arts, I ask you to join me in our support of this beautiful community of young people. Let’s remain deeply committed to our work this year, more focused and dedicated than ever, working towards the mission, values, and vision of this amazing place.