Latest Post: Ali Ozmeral: March
Dear Journey Group,
Playing for Others not only involves the arts, buddies, and develops teen leadership, but also engages the community we live in, in its organization. Each PFO buddy event, such as the art and music buddy events, we have brought in local basket weavers, face painters, and musicians. Playing for Others strives to make our community aware of PFO and aware of the teens and adults who are contributing to make it such a successful nonprofit organization. Two Open houses are held each year, one in the fall and one in the spring, to give the community a taste of playing for others and let them become involved. PFO engaged the community in the fall open house by having tours through the various rooms of Whitehead Manor. Each one of these rooms shared another layer of Playing for Other’s to our community through dance, music or poetry.
Another remarkable way Playing for Others is involving our community is through the dance experience. This year is the first ever dance experience in Playing for Others and it’s going to be a magical performance. They have been commissioned by ten local community members to tell their story through a dance. Once a community member asked to commission a piece in the dance experience, they will be interviewed. This interview will guide the dancers piece as they honor, remember or tell the community members story through their movements and expressions. On the final day of the dance experience performance clips of those interviews will be played before the dancing starts, ultimately uniting Playing for Others and our community.
Playing for Others is continuing to grow and gain recognition in our community. It stands for a great cause, and develops so many teens into responsible, mature young adults. Each day the community is becoming more and more aware of PFO’s purpose and is wanting to get involved. It’s neat to see where playing for others started and how far it has come since then, and to be a part of PFO helping engage the community, is an unforgettable experience. Thanks for following my journey!