Welcome!

July 2010

 

Dear Friends of Tappers With Attitude, Inc.,

 

Each year, usually in the fall, we write to you to ask for your financial support of Tappers With Attitude, Inc., and specifically Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble and Knock On Wood Tap Studio. Your donations, along with grant funding and student tuition, have allowed us to fulfill our mission: “To preserve and promote the uniquely American art of tap dance through dance education and performance opportunities for participants of all ages and abilities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area” for an amazing, award-winning, life-changing 19 years.

 

For all of these years, the organization has remained alive and vibrant due to the love and dedication of our Directors, Board Members, Youth Ensemble families, Knock On Wood staff, teachers and students, and audiences, but right now, this is just not enough. When we shared the news in April that our beloved Tappers With Attitude Youth Ensemble was placed on hiatus, the outcry was significant. We asked for money at that time, in our Tidbits for Tappers online newsletter, at our KOW Showcase and at the two final TWA concerts in June. While we received a few much-appreciated donations, we need even more.

 

This, our friends, is our last-ditch effort to tell you that the doors to the studio will have to close by the end of the summer if we are not well on our way to raising a minimum of $50,000.00.

 

Of course, if you make a donation, you should know how it will be used. Specifically, our rent is a considerable portion of our expenses. We will receive $13,000 from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County to fund half a year of a studio manager, but we need to fund that position for the entire year. We desperately need to hire an Executive Director if the organization is to survive. A volunteer Board of Directors cannot plan and carry out the day-to-day functions that are required to not only run the organization, but to keep it viable for the future. If there is to be any organization of a youth performing group in the future, separate funding for that effort, including artistic direction, is crucial.

 

Many people have asked if we have reached out to other similar organizations for partnerships, space rentals, etc. The answer is YES, we have, and we continue to explore these possibilities but the solution is not apparent as of yet. Others have questioned whether we have applied for grants, looked at online social networking opportunities, and approached the business community. The answer is YES, we have explored or are in the process of exploring all of these solutions and more. Many people have come forward to help with these efforts and we very deeply appreciate the time and expertise that they are sharing even as we write this appeal letter to you.

 

We don’t think we can be any more explicit about this, so PLEASE, if you do not want to see Knock On Wood Tap Studio – the ONLY exclusively tap studio in town – close its doors this fall, then PLEASE send your tax deductible donation NOW. Any amount will help, any connections you have will be welcome. If we do not meet our goal by August 31st, we will return your money. Donate online or send contributions to our studio address below.

 

With hope for the future of TWA, Inc.,

 

The Board of Directors:

 

Tim Daniel, President

Ruth Silverstein, Vice President

Dana Bynum, Co-Treasurer

Kindra Ingram, Co-Treasurer

Penny Passikoff, Secretary

Kisha Logan

Yvonne Edwards