Alicia Keys and Roc Nation salvaged a New York City school’s performing arts program after a seventh grader broadcast the need for funds.
Keys is an alumna of the Professional Performing Arts School in Hell’s Kitchen, whose education and artistic director, Heather Lanza, informed parents that the curtain would close on its performing arts program, including the Waterwell drama program, in April due to financial issues, according to ABC 7 NY.
But 12-year-old Tennyson Artigliere sprung into action to save the program that has given many children hope. On Tuesday, March 12, she created a GoFundMe with a $102,000 goal.
“Due to unfortunate budget cuts, our performing arts program was cut short and will be ending early in April for both middle school and high school! This affects hundreds of students, and we are heartbroken to have such a horrible thing happen,” Artigliere said in the campaign’s description. “Please help donate to bring back our program that brought so many students joy and made their dreams come true! Thank you so much. We really appreciate you making a difference in the lives of children, that are the future of our world!”
The program shared awareness of the funding campaign on Instagram on Wednesday, March 13, tagging Keys. It garnered over $50,000 in donations.
On Thursday, a couple of days after the campaign was created, the program learned that Keys and her label would donate $60,000 and fund it until the Department of Education “can sufficiently keep the program going.”
“We still talk about [Keys’] legacy every single day,” Artigliere said.
In addition to Keys, other celebrity alums raised awareness, like The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, who took to his Instagram story to urge his fanbase to give back after Artigliere tagged him.
“This is where I went to high school. It’s an important program with some incredible teachers. Please help if you are able. I have donated,” White wrote on his Instagram story.
Many parents were frustrated to learn about the cuts from the theater program and not the principal. Still, Marcus Artigliere is a father proud of his daughter for taking “collective action.”
“As a parent, I’m really proud of her collective action,” he said. “It’s a public school. We shouldn’t have to fundraise … but there is a lot of beauty in being scrappy and seeing how the kids are taking off.”
According to Chalkbeat, Lanza was told in a meeting that the organization’s budget was short $102,000 due to city budget cuts. She said the DOE claimed the program needed $80,000 to save it.
However, DOE disputed the claim, stating that the program’s “work order was above what the school could afford,” which they conveyed to Waterwell in December.
