I strongly believe that everyone was born with a purpose, a reason for being. I believe that this life is a gift to be used for good. One of my greatest purposes was to raise my seven children, but when that was done and I was left with one child living at home with disabilities, I wondered what our purpose would be now. In spite of the fact that Audrey has Down syndrome, she is quite capable, but for some reason she was not able to hold a job in the community. One problem was that she has obsessive-compulsive disorder, which can be a hindrance on the job. She wanted to complete each phase of her job perfectly before moving on to the next. This is not compatible with the types of jobs she was offered such as in fast food restaurants. After a few attempts at employment, she ended up sitting at home, shuffling cards and watching TV. She actually loved it, but I kept thinking about her purpose. If she were to realize her purpose, I would have to help her find and magnify it. I saw that she was very outgoing and socially appropriate, and she loved to dance and entertain. She had been asking to try out on Star Search for the longest time, but I knew that really wasn’t feasible. She was entertaining in way that I had never seen before. She entertained through her sheer delight in what she was doing. She draws people in to her “act” through her charisma. I thought, that is what an entertainer does. I looked up the definition for entertain and it said, “provide with amusement or enjoyment”, and I thought, watching her perform is both amusing and enjoyable. She saw herself and her friends as talented, beautiful people that deserved to be on stage. So why shouldn’t she try? There was never any pre-conceived idea of how this would work, but rather we set out with the thought that anything is possible if you just believe in yourself. That everyone deserves opportunities to try anything they want to achieve. And you are the one that determines if you are a success or not. It is your life! Armed with the will to try, we began our journey by letting others know what we were thinking. We wanted to be on a stage in front of the community at large, to perform a legitimate performance that they would appreciate. We began networking with organizations that work with people with disabilities to see if they knew of anyone who would be interested in joining us. Two of Audrey’s friends that we were just sure would want to join ran into issues with the family supporting all of the practices and traveling involved to make it happen. They turned us down! We had to recruit other people. We started with just three performers and two choreographers. The choreographers were high school students who enjoyed dance. One girl was on drill team, the other took dance lessons. They believed in our mission and began helping right away. That was in August of 2002, and two months later they were performing at the Buddy Walk in front of 2000 people at Arrowhead Stadium. They have performed at the Buddy Walk every year since that time and the crowds have grown to 5000 over the years. Our studio, Once Upon A Dream, was built and finished in April of 2007 with a two-fold mission. First and foremost, was to provide a place for our daughter to socialize with her friends, the other was to provide a place for our performing troupe to rehearse. Since the beginning we have moved from place to place in the community, begging for space to practice in the corner of this place or that. It was inconsistent and time consuming to be continually looking for “free” space to use. We would love to be able to afford to pay for our own facility, but these programs have been run solely on “heart “ for the past 5 years. I work an average of 60 hours per week putting together the programs, finding materials, working with choreographers to create videos as support material, working with volunteers to ensure our participants get the help they need, finding or making costumes, finding props, working with parents, fielding calls, preparing for classes, making event arrangements, creating all written communication such as contracts, participant packets, advertising, brochures, and many more details that come up on a daily basis. There is little time to seek out funding or to find generous donors that would delight in supporting our troupe members if they knew we existed, or of the incredible difference it can make in a lives of people with disabilities to be seen and heard on a stage. Each person we work with has their own special needs and requires supports uncommon in the mainstream. Their disabilities range from autism and cerebral palsy, to Down syndrome. Most had never been on a stage before coming to us, and had never been a part of a program where they wore costumes. Many talents had been hidden under the mask of their disability. We discovered one young man, born premature with autism, that had taught himself to play the drums and had a beautiful voice that no one had ever heard. Others have great acting abilities, but had never been given a chance to show that talent. Some have wonderful singing voices or can dance their socks off. Whatever their talent, we try to find it, improve on it, and help them become the best they can be. Our community is not just about performing, though. We take pride in teaching our members how to treat one another with respect and how to present themselves in public. They have all had difficulty “fitting in” and being included. We decided the best way for us to breakdown those social barriers is to show people that we are not so different and to start including them in our lives. We don’t wait for an invitation, instead, we invite. We now have six typical teens that have joined the troupe to help support their friends with disabilities. They are called our B.E.S.T. B.U.D.D.’s. (Beyond the Evening Star Theater-Believers Undaunted by Developmental Disabilities) They not only spend time with them helping them rehearse, but they also socialize with them outside of our rehearsals and events. They attend parties together and do other things that friends do. This was our dream and it is actually happening. It is the most important result of what we do. Another very important component of what we do is to bring awareness and education to the public about disabilities. We are showing people in a different light than they have ever been seen before. We are showing them as capable and not so different from others. We knew we were making a difference when some teens from Blue Valley had seen us perform for the Blue Valley School District Symposium on Disabilities, and then asked us to perform for the National Student Council Conference, which they were hosting here in Overland Park, KS. It was amazing to have our troupe members perform in front of 2000 extraordinary youth and their advisors from around the country. They did three numbers and Audrey gave her talk on diversity. Every number and the speech resulted in a huge round of applause, screaming, stomping feet, and standing ovations. Afterwards the troupe members were met by eager fans wanting pictures with them and autographs. They were treated like “rock stars”. It was amazing! From that event we were invited to the Missouri State STUCO Conference, which got the same response from audience members. From that we are being invited to other schools throughout the state of Missouri. We will be at Liberty South Valley Junior High in May, and have invitations to perform for several schools in the St. Louis area. Their district office called and said they may want to book us for a week so that several schools can access us at once. We have an invitation to do a few concerts on a trip to Chicago early next fall. We have done numerous national conventions, business meetings, school functions, church services, and more. We are in need of more people to work with our youth and young children as one on one assistance. They are not experienced and need help to make them look their best on stage. B.E.S.T. B.U.D.D.’s help during practice so that each child is given ample support. They need help in knowing which way to turn. They need face to face help to learn the sign language to music that we perform. Then they need help at the actual performance. B.U.D.D.’s get right on stage with them and dance with them as their partners. It is a beautiful thing! Because of our success we have seen an increase in enrollment and are in need of larger place. We are bursting at the seams and have a waiting list for participants. I have done all I can to ensure the continuation of programs including, starting a day service program in the arts called the A.R.T.S. Academy, which serves people with disabilities in the Johnson County area. A.R.T.S. stands for Arts Reinforcing Transition Skills. We use music and the performing arts to teach all kind of lessons. We even teach our required safety and emergency preparedness courses through the use of puppets. The students work the puppets while a prerecorded CD plays music and tells about the rules of safety and emergency preparedness. This engages them in an otherwise rather boring routine that has to be presented monthly. The use of music increases retention of anything you are trying to teach. Some of the attributes we emphasize in our programs are: commitment, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, respect, integrity, responsibility, self-control, and compassion. There is no greater place to learn communication and social skills than in the performing arts. It is all about communication and being socially acceptable to the audience. The benefits of our programs include increased: physical activity, mental alertness, selfconfidence, social interaction, and job readiness. I recently received a packet of information that gave the following reasons for participating in the arts: Theatre is science. Theatre is mathematical. Theatre is a foreign language. Theatre is physical education. Theatre is language arts. Theatre is art. Theatre is business. Theatre is technology. Theatre is economics. Theatre is taught in schools Not because one is expected to major in theatre, Not because one is expected to perform all through life, Not so one can relax, Not so one can have fun. But so one will recognize beauty. So one will be sensitive. So one will be closer to an infinite beyond this world. So one will have more love, More compassion, More gentleness, More good. In short, more life. Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living Unless you know how to live? We have had amazing results. We have literally been instrumental in changing lives for the better. What began as a young woman’s dream to be on stage has resulted in the formation of a network of programs that serve people with disabilities in the arts. We opened a space in which to create and let things unfold as opportunities and needs came our way. We are open to much more and exciting things will happen. Our new dream is much bigger than we had ever anticipated. Our goals are to: Build a state-of-the-art performing arts center that is completely accessible in all areas so that people with disabilities can learn job skills related to the theater experience along side their typical peers. The Beyond the Evening Star Theater will be open to all people, with an emphasis in providing the necessary supports to people with disabilities so that they can experience full inclusion. Provide an inclusive environment where people with and without disabilities work together on theater projects, breaking down social barriers. Engage the community in supporting this project through fundraising efforts, and volunteers from the professional arts community to provide expertise and assistance when needed. Much in the way athletes support the Special Olympics. Provide a permanent "home" for the already functioning B.E.S.T. Troupe members, who are out educating and entertaining audiences with their message of creating communities of kindness and inclusion. To use the theater as a vocational training center for jobs in the cafe, gift shop, costume shop, as well as, janitorial and housekeeping, and as sound and lighting technicians. There are a whole array of jobs that will develop surrounding the facility. Our troupe motto is, “we are here and we belong, for every soul has worth and a purpose here on earth.” We are always looking for people with disabilities that have the desire, talent, and commitment to perform on stage. We need volunteers with a big heart and patience to help our performers follow their dreams. We need choreographers and acting coaches to help our students learn fundamentals of performing. And we need money. We supplement the cost of the programs through our events, but it is not nearly enough. We need the support of our community to keep this program going. Beyond the Evening Star Theater is set up as a non-profit 501c3 with a bank account at Bank of America, so that the public can give donations to help these deserving young people reach their dreams.