I was a 14 year old freshman when the words “Playing for Others” were first introduced to me. At first I really had no idea of what it was, except that it was a dream. It was the dream of Jen Band, a director and teacher I had worked with at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. She invited several other teens that she knew from around the Charlotte area to come together to make this dream of hers come alive…and PFO was born! During that very first PFO meeting, I don’t think I had any idea as to how PFO would change my life. All I knew was that I was going to be using my love and passion for the theatre to help create a change in the community.
That very first year was exciting, thrilling, and many lessons were learned. I was the Chair of the Community Outreach Committee and all of the teens and Advisors involved that year were starting from scratch. We had nothing to jump off of because we were brand new However, we did have a passion; a passion that would eventually lead us to raise $23,000 for LifeSpan–a place that transforms the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities. I was shocked and could not believe everything that we had accomplished. This brand new organization took Charlotte by storm, and I got to be a part of it. After we handed LifeSpan the check that weekend, a whole flood of emotions filled me up: I just had the time of my life performing as “Lucy Van Pelt” in the PFO show, ‘You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown’, I just created incredible relationships with Advisors and my fellow PFO teens, and I got to do all of this while creating change for the community. There was no better feeling in the world. I left that 2006-2007 Playing for Others Season motivated to impact the world, and could not wait for the next year.
My sophomore year arrived and Playing for Others began, but it was a very different organization than it had been before. Having had one year under our belt, PFO was much more organized and felt more official. We had done this the year before, so we came back with a foundation to build off of. Not only were we working to raise money for children at the Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte (DSAC), but all PFO teens were paired with their own buddy from the DSAC. This thrilled me. My love for children and my passion for the arts completely came together as one. This made the experience all the more personal and enabled us to witness the change we were creating for these kids first hand. As the Arts Festival Weekend neared, PFO committee meetings and rehearsals for “A Year with Frog and Toad” became more intense and before we knew it, opening night was here. At the end of the weekend, we handed the Down Syndrome Association a check for $25,000. Another incredible year of PFO came to a close.
While I was getting ready for my Junior Year of high school to begin, I was getting ready for year three of PFO as well! I was also thrilled to be named President of the Teen Executive Board. For me, the more active I was in the organization, the more accomplished I feel with myself, so I was completely honored and could not wait to begin. I had an incredible buddy who lit up the world with her smile, and I was able to witness the growth of Playing for Others. The Arts Festival Weekend now incorporated a concert, the visual arts, and the traditional musical. I just kept thinking to myself, “Look at how far we have come since our very first year.” That feeling was unbelievable. After an incredible week performing as “Ida” in ‘Honk the Musical’ and witnessing all of the change PFO was making at The Neighborhood Theatre, we were able to raise $15,000 to Easter Seals United Cerebral Palsy. Out of the three years of PFO’s existence, that year was by far the most influential on my life. I learned so many things throughout that year that I will forever carry with me throughout my life.
Now I am a Senior. It is scary and strange to think that this is my last year of being a teen in Playing for Others, especially since I have been here since the very beginning. I was so honored at the start of the season to be named Co-President of the Teen Executive Board aka “The A-Team” and love every minute I spend with my fellow PFO Teens. The energy and spirit of everyone involved in Playing for Others is indescribable and everyone should know how special this organization is. It has changed my life in every aspect and has taught me things that I will never learn in a classroom. It is by far the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me in my life and I cannot wait to see what the rest of this year brings! :]
