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The middle and high school students from Creative Youth Productions performed an original song and dance routine to a delighted crowd in front of the Starbucks on the first floor. They were working to spread awareness about Fairfield County's Community Foundation's Giving Day on Thursday, March 5, which aims to raise money for hundreds of nonprofits throughout Fairfield County.
"It was something that was created to raise awareness and give to the nonprofits that serve their communities in Fairfield County," said Juanita James, president and CEO of Fairfield County's Community Foundation.
More than 400 organizations have signed up for Giving Day. The goal of the day is to raise $1 million for the nonprofits across the county.
James said she loved the performance of the students, who worked for months rehearsing and writing the routine. She praised the work of Creative Youth Productions in giving kids in Bridgeport an outlet for creativity.
"It's really about building self esteem, showcasing their talents, using art, music and theater to help them express themselves in a really positive way, and they are just one of the 400 who are doing phenomenal work in our community."
Creative Youth Productions' Executive Artistic Director Donna Sue DeGuzman said she was proud of the students' performance in the flash mob.
"The whole idea was to see all these kids doing something together," DeGuzman said. CYP allows the students a creative outlet to write and perform original productions. They just finished a play called "Chasing Freedom" in honor of Black History Month, and will soon begin work on two new productions focusing on the issues of boys and girls.
"It's really about the youth and their voice and how they express themselves," DeGuzman said. "We try to provide a very safe environment so they can come out of themselves. They're in school all day, so when they get to us at 3 p.m. we've got to have a pretty fun time in order for them to want to be in our program."
DeGuzman praised the idea of Fairfield County Giving Day for raising awareness and funds for organizations that provide vital services to the community. James said that Giving Day would feature prizes and giveaways to incentivize people to give, and encourage everyone to log on Thursday and support their favorite nonprofits.
To learn more about Fairfield County Giving Day, visit its website.
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