As COVID-19 continues to threaten the livelihoods of our performing arts community and leave many of our youth displaced from outlets that keep them engaged in the arts. Our call to action is to raise money for each performing arts team within the Bud Billiken community due to this hardship.
OUR CALL TO ACTION
During this time The Chicago Defender Charities has extended its funding efforts due to COVID-19. The Chicago Defender Charities has been seizing every opportunity to continue our service to the over 500,000 youth that we touch yearly. We partnered with our community of performing arts organizations and have been working to put a plan in place to overcome the physical limitations and provide continued support to our youth. Youth are trained in the areas of dance, drill, marching band, and cheerleading, learning creative movement as an expression outlet. Locally, there are 25 dance teams, 20 marching bands, 8 drill teams, and 6 cheerleading teams. Members of youth teams with which the Chicago Defender Charities has established relationships are represented by youth organizations such as CPS, South Shore Drill Team, & Chi-Town Cheerleaders to name a few.
Several other youth organizations are involved from across the Chicagoland area and around the world. Each youth organization supports the involvement of their youth in this program. Adult professionals train and supervise members of the youth team in the above-mentioned areas (dance, drill, marching band, and cheerleading) and supervise all their activities. They train the youth so that by mid-summer the youth are prepared to compete in the Bud Billiken Parade. Each week, youth teams prepare for and participate in weekly practices consisting of their individual performance focused activities.
These individual organizations are experiencing various hardships due to COVID-19 such as, lack of income due to studio doors being closed, the strain of continued practices on Zoom, the variety of kids with challenges within their homes, and the financial burden of still keeping your businesses going. The Chicago Defender Charities has set a goal to raise $100,000, to give back to the Performing Arts Community so the can continue operating in the wake of COVID-19.