AUGUST 2017 72 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM {charity spotlight} GIVING BACK VALLEY YOUTH THEATRE Research shows that participation in the arts is beneficial to children — it leads to improved academic performance, allows them to be more imaginative and increases cultural awareness, to name a few. But at Valley Youth Theatre, that’s just the beginning. The children who leave their programs leave as better people, not just better performers. They set themselves apart by making it their mission to inspire children to be the best they can be, on stage and in life. “We knew that as an organization, to inspire, we had to be inspiring and provide programs that were going to be top notch to give these young people a really professional experience and not necessarily to do theater but to inspire these children with the vehicle of theater so the end result of the process was helping these kids find the magic that’s inside of them,” said Bobb Cooper, producing artistic director of Valley Youth Theater since 1996. “We help them learn and grow and develop skills and learn responsibility, time management, teamwork, presentation skills and self-confidence.” Valley Youth Theatre has also made it a priority to offer places in their production to children regardless of their socioeconomic status by not asking them to pay to participate, or to buy their costumes. “Children from all walks of life come,” Cooper said. “They can arrive in a Mercedes or on the light rail and the moment they walk through the door none of that matters anymore, it’s about working together, it’s about inspiring each other and encouraging each other.” Jamie Killin | CONTRIBUTING WRITER THE CAUSE

AUGUST 2017 FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM | 73 SOIREE IN THE SWAMP Saturday, August 19, 2017 Showtime 5:30 PM Herberger Theater Center VYTAL AFFAIR 2017 Photo Credit: Valley Youth Theatre VYTAL AFFAIR 2017