By Barbara Rosasco | Sccretary & Treasurer
Video of Champey Dancers & Students
Leap Forward for Art ! Please participate in our fundraising activities!
GlobalGiving Pro-rated Match Day on March 16 !
( May 2015 partner match was 25.9%)
Leap Forward for Art !
In this Leap Year, we are hosting a variety of activities to encourage our supporters to Leap Forward for Art!
Beginning on February 29, 2016, Kasumisou Foundation is concentrating on raising money for arts programs for disadvantaged children and teens in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Kasumisou Foundation is a California based US 501 c ( 3 ) non profit organization.
For more than 15 years, Kasumisou Foundation has offered classes to children and teens impacted by HIV/AIDS and poverty. We offer instruction in traditional Cambodian dance, music and art free of charge, helping our students to build pride of culture . Our Champey Academy of Arts teaches students about their rich cultural heritage, while building individual and team skills, discipline and developing the wonderful talents of our students. Our program also offers safe and suitable jobs for high school and college students ranging in scope from apprentice teacher to guest relations , greeters and performing administrative tasks. These student workers, many of whom are themselves from disadvantaged backgrounds, serve as peer role models to the children in our programs.
Please view the videos and see our kids in action ! In the second video you will also see a little girl who besides fidgeting with her skirt and belt, looks far too young for instruction. Yet, to our surprise, she suddenly shows us that she too, is learning , formally and informally.
The scenery you see was painted by some our art students.
Our complete payroll list has 25 names but a large number of those on the list are young girls who study dance with us but who are sufficiently knowledgeable to be able to act as part time assistant teachers a few hours a week, other do administrative tasks such as greet guests, prepare the stage, help young students learn to manage their costumes and so on. Some of these young people are orphans or they come from families of very modest means so we give them very small monthly payments of $20 to $50 to encourage them to continue their study of dance. As such, they are included on our staff list, and so they also are eligible to receive very basic accident (not health) insurance coverage under our group plan.
Our basic, bare bones operating budget for this project for 2016 is projected at $45,000. We are hoping in addition to raising those funds, we hope to raise money for more new costumes and masks to perform more traditional dances. Our students are increasingly invited to give performances but we need more costumes and masks. We also need additional musical instruments so that each student can spend a meaningful amount of practice time using an instrument.
But most importantly , we need to plan to replace our temporary outdoor wooden garden stage which was made by tightly tying together the legs of wooden sleeping pallets and replace it with a properly constructed and sturdy stage. Estimated cost is about $ 2500 to do this.
We are deeply grateful to all of our supporters for their generosity which continues to bring the arts to our students.
Barbara & Mark
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