HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/15/2022 Item 6a, DellaPelle
Delgado, Adriana
From:Penny DellaPelle <themysterymustache@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, February
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Budget - SLO REP grant
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Honorable City Council:
As a long-time former student in the youth education programs at SLO REP, I urge you to please
approve SLO REP"s "challenge grant" and I thank the council for its consideration. The Academy of Creative
Theatre (ACT) serves children and teenagers 35 weeks a year with after-school activities, summer camps,
workshops and other enriching curriculum not readily available in local schools. These programs were truly my
home away from home for over eight years, from the ages of 10 to 18 (and I continue to find support from that
community). Through the theater I found the friends, community, self expression, and confidence that I had
struggled to find at school. Over the years I saw countless other kids find that community and joy as well. In my
time there, I’ve seen the creative ambition of the programs grow dramatically, and for many years now they’ve
been bursting at the seams trying to serve as many local kids as possible, and need this grant for that space to
grow.
Completion of this project would enable a tripling of participants in SLO REP’s educational
programming within two years. In their current facilities, ACT has served 300 students annually regardless of
their ability to pay. Since at least 2013, ACT programs have been at capacity with long waiting lists. And it not
only benefits kids- I know dozens of parents who can testify that ACT gave their children a focus and purpose
that changed the lives of the children and the families.
The new theater will act as an anchor to the rapidly changing downtown SLO, allowing a culture of art,
laughter, storytelling, and community to far more of our local community and many visitors. The time is now.
Thank you,
-Penny DellaPelle
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