The Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) has been awarded a $25,000 Community Builder grant from the Greater Toledo Community Foundation for the expansion of its education outreach programming to five Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo (BGCT). Funds will be used to implement summer and after-school dance and music instruction at the Homer Hanham and Schoenrock Family Boys & Girls Club as well as the Carson Family Club at Marshall Elementary School, David Werhmeister Club at Sherman Elementary School and East Club at East Broadway Elementary.

“We believe that positive physical activity is vitally important to children’s emotional growth, and dance is a wonderful addition to organized sports in working towards a goal of physical fitness while learning to express oneself through movement,” says Zak Vassar, President & CEO of TAPA. “The instrumental music component will offer on-site instruction in trumpet and percussion. As the arts struggle to find adequate time during the school day, especially in underserved classrooms, these programs guarantee access to any Boys & Girls Club member who would like to explore music or dance, or both.”

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club,” says Rachel Schultz, Director of Education & Community Engagement for TAPA. “Our own Music Director, Alain Trudel, started trombone in a similar community organization in Canada; he is especially excited for the program to get up and running so he can drop in for visits!”

The Greater Toledo Community Foundation is a public charitable organization created by citizens of our community to enrich the quality of life for individuals and families in our area. In existence since 1973, the Foundation has more than 900 individual current funds with assets of approximately $435 million. The Foundation provides philanthropic services for individuals, families, businesses, and corporations to meet their charitable giving needs. For more information on the Foundation, visit the website at www.toledocf.org or follow them on Facebook or LinkedIn.

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF TOLEDO

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo is one of the oldest youth-serving organizations in the Toledo area. Founded in 1892, the Clubs provide program opportunities for more than 2,500 boys and girls each year. The Clubs are open to boys and girls age 7-18, and have four locations in central Toledo. Those interested in donating to the Clubs or to learn more, please contact Billy Mann at Billy@bgctoledo.org or visit www.bgctoledo.org.

ABOUT TAPA

TAPA, a 501(c)(3), was formed as a hub for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and Toledo Ballet, two of the oldest performing arts organizations in northwest Ohio, with a mission to inspire our region to come together through the performing arts. To contribute or learn more about TAPA, go to https://www.toledosymphony.com/tapa/toledo-alliance-for-the-performing-arts/

ABOUT THE TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a community-supported organization of professional musicians and teachers who deliver quality performance and music education for all.

Formed in 1943 as The Friends of Music and incorporated in 1951 as the Toledo Orchestra Association, Inc., the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has grown from a core group of twenty-two part-time musicians to a regional orchestra that employs sixty-nine professional musicians who consider the Toledo Symphony their primary employer, as well as numerous extra players annually as repertoire demands.

On January 1, 2019, the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. This partnership promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions.

The Toledo Symphony reaches more than 260,000 individuals annually through performances and education programs. The series concerts (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, and Family Series) are the critical underpinning of the orchestra’s artistic mission and regularly draw people from 135 postal zip codes. Education programs, student performances, and community concerts are held in schools, neighborhood churches, performing arts centers, and community facilities throughout the region; many are offered at no charge or provided at a reduced fee to help expand participation.

ABOUT TOLEDO BALLET

Toledo Ballet is a pre-professional dance company that inspires the passions and spirit of the Toledo community through dance. Toledo Ballet provides quality dance instruction and exceptional performance opportunities to over 250 students throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan annually. 

Founded in 1939 by Marie Bollinger Vogt, Toledo Ballet continues to offer quality dance education spanning all ages and ability levels. Classes include ballet, contemporary, tap, tumbling, and Adaptive Dance, a unique class providing those with special needs an opportunity to learn to move in ways that come naturally to them. Acting, voice, musical theater, and conditioning are also offered at the school. In addition, Toledo Ballet brings in world-renowned, professional dancers each year to lead its summer intensive programs, drawing students from across the region seeking to advance their skills. 

Toledo Ballet students have competed at the national and international level, including the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), the world’s largest international student ballet competition, and many have pursued dance professionally at some of the most prestigious ballet institutions in the nation, including New York City Ballet, Chicago Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet.