GDF makes a special gift to the Lewisburg Area School District
L to R: Dr. Mark DiRocco, LASD Superintendent and Mrs. Kathy Swope, LASD Board President, receive a donation from Brooks Gronlund, GDF President.
The Green Dragon Foundation, a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing additional resources for students of the Lewisburg Area School District presented a check to the district at its November 11, 2010 school board meeting.
Brooks Gronlund, president of the Green Dragon Foundation, announced, “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Green Dragon Foundation, it is with great pleasure that I present you with a check in the amount of $1,252.00. This donation was made possible because of the generosity of Dr. Steve Miller and Ms. Ellen Gauthier.”
Gronlund continued, “Steve and Ellen contacted the Green Dragon Foundation in September telling us that they were interested in sponsoring high school and middle school percussionists to attend a performance of STOMP at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport. Their intention was to help young people be inspired and see the wonder and possibilities of something they are already interested in. Steve and Ellen wanted to add a new dimension to the students’ love of music. Their generosity will enable 36 students and three adult chaperones attend this enriching experience on January 18, 2011.”
When asked why they wanted to make this gift, Ellen Gauthier responded, “When you leave a show with a huge smile on your face, rhythms in your head, and scenes you can’t stop talking about, you have had a wonderful evening. Steve and I were excited to see STOMP on the program for the Community Arts Center (CAC) in Williamsport for the 2010/11 season, as it brought back great memories of seeing the show in New York City.” She continued, “STOMP is an amazing, inspiring show performed by young people who “fill the stage with magnificent rhythms” using “everything but conventional percussion instruments. Here, in our own backyard, is a chance to enjoy a new look at the power of the beat, to discover a beautiful venue, to share the wonder of live performance.”
“Even with the CAC in our backyard, many students don’t know about it and many do not have an opportunity to see a show. We decided to bring them to the arts, to repackage the gift we had been given by inviting percussion students from Lewisburg to attend one of the two STOMP performances. Our hope is that they will be inspired by the creativity and talent of these young people and that the wonder of live performance will stay with them throughout their lives. School budgets only go so far and it is hard to plan for students to attend an event that is scheduled only a few months before the start of school. We didn’t want our students to miss this opportunity.”
“We’d like to encourage others to help provide enriching experiences for Lewisburg students through the Green Dragon Foundation” stated Gronlund. He continued, “We were delighted that these generous folks offered to enhance our students’ cultural experience since the Green Dragon Foundation is dedicated to providing and directing funding for the realization of educational, cultural and athletic programs and capital improvement projects for the enrichment and enhancement of the students of the LASD.