Sunday, July 7, 2013

Young Americans Summer Camp Ends With $25,000 Bang



For the second year, the Young Americans performance group held their weeklong summer camps for northern Michigan 3rd through 12th grade kids and college students at the Harbor Springs High School.  Saturday, the camps last day performance for parents and the community turned into a big shot in the arm for local arts programs when the group presented Harbor Community Schools program director Mari Schumaker a $25,000 donation.
 
Young American performers and staff present Harbor Springs Community
Schools director Mari Schumaker (far right, front) with $25,000 dollar donation.
With many school arts programs suffering from budget cuts the Young Americans organization has set a goal of raising one million dollars to “keep music in schools”.   The group’s gift comes from ticket sales and private donations.
 
Young American group member (with microphone) performs with kids from across northern
Michigan during the summer camps final performance. 
Based in southern California the Young Americans now perform worldwide and have been appearing here in northern Michigan for more than 35 years, primarily at the Boyne resorts as the Young Americans Dinner Theatre.  The group holds summer camps and workshops to bring the performing arts to kids around the world and this year locations include camps in California and Nebraska as well as Harbor Springs and Paw Paw Michigan.  They plan to offer a three day workshop version of the summer camp later in the year.