Youth In Foster Care (NAPSA)—Agenerousdonorrecently opened up the worlds oftheater, music andhistory to a group ofdeserving young people, especially picked for their passion and involvementin performingarts. ‘The Kids Students in Treehouse’s Graduation Success program experienced the Tony Award-winning, hip-hop musical sen- sation “Hamilton” Treehouse gives youth in foster care a childhood anda future. The nonprofit has increased the extended graduation Mary lannuzi gets ready for “Hamilton” with Chris, a student in Treehouse’s Graduation Success prograi rate for youth in its program to 89 percent. Nationwide,less than 50 percentof youthin foster care earn diplomas. Shayla, a high school junior who ‘wants to pursuea careerin theater, was overjoyedto learn aboutthetickets. “I screamed. I started crying. I was on the ground hyperventilating” she said. “I couldn't even say thank you because I couldn't breathe” ‘The Show The musical would prove to be everything Shayla hoped. “The sets were beautiful, the costumeswere gorgeous andtheactors did an amazingjob.” she said. “Hamilton”is based on the story of the nation’s founding fathers and has one of Broadway's most diverse casts. ‘The national tourfor 2018 will perform in 20cities aroundthe country. The play's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda,cast whitehistoricalfigures— including Alexander Hamilton and ‘ThomasJefferson—with African-American, Latino and Asian-American actors. This decision hasinspired young theatergoers across the country, including Treehouseyouth. “The best part for me wasthat Chris, my student, could envision himself playing a numberof amazing charac- ters? said Mary Iannuzzi, Treehouse Education Specialist. The Organization Treehouseis based in Washington, operates statewide and provides guidanceto organizations serving youth in fostercare all over the country. Learn More For further information or to make a donation yourself, visit www. treehouseforkids.org.
