Kind Friends, Good Neighbors,
Having friends in your neighborhood is a comforting feeling. Frog and Toad are a great example; they live down the road from each other, and instead of hopping in the car, they can simply walk down the street if they want to hang out with each other.
Activities like playing outside on a warm summer day or baking cookies on a Friday night, or even spending the night at a friend’s house is always exciting. But for some of our neighbors here in Dallas, those activities are harder to do because they may not have a stable home to go to each night.
Housing Crisis Center (HCC) is aiming to change that for hundreds of Dallas families. HCC’s purpose is empowering people to transition out of homelessness and into a secure household. “We don’t just house our clients—we actually work with them to help them develop the life skills they need to keep from ever being homeless again,” said Sue Latham, Development Associate for HCC.
As part of HCC’s goal to provide a holistic approach to help their kids heal from the trauma of not having a stable home to return to each night, they’re using art projects and cultural experiences to help them imagine their futures and to teach them how to make their dreams come true. Latham says HCC wants to reach the potential ballerinas, budding musicians, or would-be actors, but knows that kids can’t dream about things they haven’t been exposed to.
Access to new experiences, like attending opening night of A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, helps to broaden the children’s definition of success. When you aren’t sure where you’ll be sleeping each night, the first priority is always finding food and shelter. But with HCC taking care of the shelter aspect, the kids who participate in their housing programs can focus on other things, like this fun, new experience.
Join DCT in supporting our neighborhood friends at HCC during the run of A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD by bringing in blankets or books, recommended for ages 3 through 12. True friends can communicate with each other through facial expressions, just like the actors on our stage. DCT is proud to put smiles on the faces of our neighborhood friends.
Music by Robert Reale
Book and Lyrics by Willie Reale
Based on the books by Arnold Lobel
Originally presented on Broadway by
Bob Boyett, Adrianne Lobel, Michael Gardner, Lawrence Horowitz and Roy Furman
World Premiere at The Children’s Theatre Company Minneapolis, Minnesota
January 29 – February 28, 2016
Recommended for ages 4 and up
Get your tickets today at www.dct.org