Blumenthal Bridges - A Meaningful Way to Help Others Through the Arts
May 29, 2025 / Blog
When Jen Band, executive director of the nonprofit Playing for Others, brings a group of teens to see a touring Broadway show at Blumenthal Arts, she loves watching their reactions.
“Ninety-nine percent of them have never seen a musical before,” said Band, who founded the extracurricular teen leadership program that combines personal skill development, service to others and the arts. “So their first experience is in a professional setting. They're going out in Uptown. Most of them have never been to that theater before.”
It’s thanks to Blumenthal Bridges, a program that provides grants to community groups and individuals to reduce financial barriers to the arts, that PFO teens are able to experience professional live theater for the first time.
The outings to Blumenthal complement the nine-month program Band runs, through which participants in grades 8-12 develop bonds with other teens from across Charlotte.
PFO teens take part in monthly arts workshops on topics ranging from special effects makeup to hip hop dancing; they dig into a long term hands-on arts experience such as performing in a spoken word tour or prepping a gallery opening. They also build friendships with children in the disability community, by pairing up with a “buddy” for regular arts-related activities throughout the school year that help build mutual respect, compassion, acceptance and inclusion.
Band said it has been incredible to watch these young people then experience professional shows like “& Juliet,” “Hadestown” and “Jagged Little Pill.” And how meaningful it's been when they could attend a show, like “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” with their buddies, too.
This fall, she’s looking forward to bringing a new group of PFO teens to see “Wicked.”
“You can't put a price on that…” Band said. “I remember my first show ever. I think it's something people who love the arts remember. Those really important shows, whether it was their first one or the most impactful one… It has a lasting effect.”
When someone donates to Blumenthal Bridges, she said, they’re “helping to create that first time experience” for a young person in our community.
Why support the Arts?
Perhaps you’ve experienced the power of the arts in your own life.
Thousands of studies have shown the wide-ranging benefits the arts provide to people across different age groups and cultures, from building stronger communities and improving academic performance to fostering empathy, building self-confidence, developing creative problem-solving skills and helping to reduce stress and anxiety.
Simply put: experiencing the arts can be transformative.
If you’ve been looking for a meaningful way to help others in the Charlotte community, consider making a contribution to Blumenthal Bridges. The program (formerly known as Arts for All) helps make the arts accessible to people throughout our community.
Donations of any size can make a real difference, especially in a time of deep cuts to arts funding across school budgets and government grants.
Many people are dealing with challenges in their lives, especially children in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Arlethia Hailstock, Blumenthal Arts’ community impact manager, who oversees the Blumenthal Bridges program.
The arts can play an important role in encouraging creativity, supporting well-being, and sparking joy.
(Arlethia Hailstock, Blumenthal Arts’ Community Impact Manager)
“Think of a kindergartener who started kindergarten in COVID and just the deficits that they have,” Hailstock said. “But are there ways we can help them try to get some of that back? Yes, honestly yes. And sitting in the theater is one, just one of those ways. Making art on a paper is another one of those ways…. Playing with other people and creating a thing together is one of the ways that we can make a difference to make up for some of that deficit that even hit adults, but hit kids especially hard.”
Blumenthal Bridges reaches people that we tend to forget about, Hailstock said, as we get busy with work and taking care of our own families. The program partners with social service groups and individuals alike to ensure as many people as possible can experience the arts through Blumenthal’s diverse programming.
“Some of the people who benefit from Blumenthal Bridges are women who maybe have escaped abuse. They are seniors who are on a fixed income…. Spending money on a ticket to the theater, they can’t even think about it,” Hailstock said. “That’s not even a part of the equation, right? And sometimes it is honestly just regular moms and dads who work really, really hard and they want to treat their kid to an experience and I love being able to give that to them.”
You can help be part of the bridge bringing these opportunities to people in the Charlotte community, too! It’s easy to donate.
Just click here!
Here’s a closer look at some of the people and organizations Blumenthal Bridges helps:
Welcoming Refugees and Providing Hope
The nonprofit Charlotte for Ukraine is a volunteer-led organization created by the local Ukrainian immigrant community to assist newly arrived refugees. It was formed in 2022, in the first days following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“We immediately started connecting with other nonprofits to build a strong network of resources essential in assisting refugees,” said Founder Marina Alexandra who is also an accomplished professional musician. “Our organization was very honored when Blumenthal offered us a partnership in July 2023. Our refugees could never dream of attending Broadway shows.
“For most refugees, attending such high-caliber performances is a luxury that they will not be able to afford for the next several years. We all know the incredible effect the arts have on humans.”
The organization has received numerous emails of gratitude following excursions to the theater.
"These events have become a real holiday for our family — each trip to a show has been a bright and unforgettable moment that has united us, given us emotions, inspiration, and joy. It was especially valuable that we were able to join a cultural life that would have been inaccessible to us otherwise.
Our children spoke enthusiastically about what they had seen long after the show, and we, as parents, were very happy to see the sparkle in their eyes.”
The Trikoz Family
“I can't express in words how grateful I am for the opportunity to attend the musical ‘Parade’! It was like a breath of fresh air. At home we used to go to the theater very often, but unfortunately now we can rarely afford it. At first there were doubts that we would understand everything, but in the process you become so immersed in this action that the language barrier disappears. My teenage daughter was also delighted! Thank you to your organization and all the sponsors!”
Kateryna Holodnova
Opening Doors to Opportunity for Students, Mentors and Families
Wayfinders is a local nonprofit that supports under-resourced Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ students from 4th - 12th grade with summer camp scholarships, year-round enrichment programs and one-to-one mentoring. It serves about 180 kids annually who are working at or above grade level, show good leadership potential and good character in the classroom. Through a partnership with Communities in Schools, Wayfinders receives referrals of strong candidates for the program.
Wayfinders’ Camp and Enrichment Coordinator Alison Busch said getting to see shows at Blumenthal Arts is a program highlight for students. “It's really fun because for a lot of them, it's their first time experiencing something like this.”
She smiles, recalling how she quickly learned the importance of giving kids some advance instruction on audience etiquette. Early in her role at Wayfinders, she watched two overly-enthusiastic high school girls get shushed because they were chatting loudly during a performance.
“We talk about it a little bit now before we go in and I would rather be the one to coach them through that than have a stranger not be so polite to them,” she said.
Students are always engaged and excited, she added. When she took a group to see “The Lion King,” she remembers how their eyes opened wide as they took in the show’s puppetry and spectacle.
Blumenthal Bridges provides opportunities for students to attend productions with their mentors, who are always looking for enriching activities to deepen their connection with students.
Sometimes students' families are able to join, too.
Busch recalls how during one school break, Blumenthal provided enough tickets for student scholars and their families to see “Tablao Flamenco.” Her Wayfinders mentee, Robert, attended with his single mom and four younger siblings, thanks to tickets provided by Blumenthal Bridges. Robert’s mom texted afterwards to let Busch know that it had been the best thing she and her kids did their whole spring break.
“I just remember she was so excited to be able to do this for her kids, so that was pretty awesome,” Busch said.
Blumenthal Bridges has “opened and allowed access for all kinds of people to experience theater that would not have otherwise,” she said. “So, we’re so grateful.”
Want to donate? Click here.
Know a group or individual who could benefit from Blumenthal Bridges? Click here.