Friday, October 2, 2009

A Night of Partnerships: Art-Reach and Arden Theatre Company Present The History Boys


On Wednesday, September 23rd, Arden Theatre Company presented its final dress rehearsal of The History Boys, a play by Alan Bennett. Art-Reach was there to celebrate our Volunteer Ambassadors and to support the Arden as they kicked off their 22nd season. The event served as the 1st Annual Art-Reach Ambassador Appreciation Event, where attendees were invited to “Pay-What-You-Can.” All proceeds from the night benefited Art-Reach.

It was a night to celebrate partnerships, and the event raised more than $2,200. The celebration began with the Ambassador Appreciation reception, which recognized all participants of Art-Reach's Ambassador Program, included awards and amazing food donated by Max Brenner and The Corner Bakery, as well as wine from Ristorante Panorama. Art-Reach ambassadors have contributed so much to our growth as an organization and every day help us to carry out the Art-Reach mission of enriching lives by connecting underserved audiences with cultural experiences so that they may enjoy and benefit from the transformative powers of the arts. Ambassadors help us to achieve this in the office, at events, and with our members. They are a dedicated team of individuals that continually keeps Art-Reach staff sane and entertained. We were delighted to have them all in one place and to publicly say “thank you for all you do at Art-Reach”. Stephanie Borton, Associate Director of Art-Reach read quotes from Art-Reach staff about the Ambassadors:

“Our Ambassadors are constantly going above and beyond the call of duty, performing the smallest to the largest of tasks with smiles on their faces. We’re lucky to have such a wealth of talent, compassion, and determination at our fingertips.” – Sage Young, Development Manager

“Our ambassadors are incredibly helpful and add tons of joy to our office! We are so appreciative of everything ambassadors do for Art-Reach. They help to make members’ experiences as rich as possible. They’re Grrrrrrrrrreat!” – Rachel Robbins, Program/Development Assistant

“Simply put, Ambassadors make Art-Reach possible. I am grateful to work with such dedicated volunteers and words cannot accurately express the depth of my gratitude for their efforts. Ambassadors keep me sane. There is no way that I would be successful in serving Art-Reach’s mission without their tireless efforts.” – Matt Bryan, Program Manager


Ths year, we are pleased to recognize one Ambassador in particular who has contributed greatly in the past year. The Ambassador of The Year Award was given to Christine White, an administrative ambassador who has worked diligently to help us get our programming database up and running. The partnership between Art-Reach and our ambassadors is one that we are incredibly grateful for and it was a pleasure to share in a night of culture and History at the Arden.

The Arden Theatre Co. itself is a long-time Arts Partner and a leader in accessibility (as well as in the Philadelphia arts community). It is also this year’s organizational honoree of Art-Reach’s 18th Annual Jazz Brunch and Silent Auction fundraiser. Dixieland Jam: A Celebration of New Orleans Jazz will be held on November 1st at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue. Two tickets to the Jazz Brunch were raffled off to a lucky audience member before the show began, and the show went off without a hitch. Overall, the night was a huge success. The Arden was full of Art-Reach supporters and we look forward to seeing all of you (and more!) at next year’s 2nd Annual Ambassador Appreciation Event.

-Rachel Robbins
 Art-Reach Program/Development Assistant

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