The Marcus Center is helping C.H.O.I.R Stars with their "Ain't Got No Bongos!" fundraiser by accepting donations of new Bongo drums on Saturday, February 26 from 9 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Marcus Center's Box Office Lobby located at 929 North Water Street, Downtown Milwaukee. Monetary donations can be made at the C.H.O.I.R. Stars web site, www.choirstars.org.
A percentage of the revenue from group tickets purchased for HAIR matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 26 at marcuscenter.org/mcaccess group code: stars will be donated to the C.H.O.I.R. Stars program. Also, a special Q&A session with cast and crew from HAIR is scheduled immediately following the matinee performance for C.H.O.I.R. Stars ticket purchasers and is subject to availability.
Samantha Jankins, President of C.H.O.I.R Stars, says, "One of our big considerations for C.H.O.I.R. Stars is that when we have arts workshops or family outings, that youth in the hospital get left out. Many of the individuals that we've encountered through C.H.O.I.R. Stars have spent time in the hospital, and some for quite lengthy stretches of time. I know firsthand from my own hospital experiences that there were kids I met who had been there for months. It became, in a way, a second home. I know also how boring it can get while hospitalized. That's when we decided to find a way to bring the arts to kids in the hospital. We ran the ukulele drive over the holidays, and that went exceptionally well. In my meeting at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, they mentioned that bongos might also be another idea if we wanted to do something in the future. We accept either new bongos or a monetary donation. We thought that the "Ain't Got No Bongos" drive could pair well with the HAIR fundraiser. We plan to continue and expand to more hospitals, and also find other ways to bring the arts to youth in the hospital."
More information
Contact: Samantha Jankins, President C.H.O.I.R Stars at 262-672-4647 or
John Barnes, Groups Sales Executive at the Marcus Center at 414-273-7121 ext. 210.
C.H.O.I.R. Stars for the Creative and Performing Arts® is a non-profit organization committed to providing hope and inspiration through the creative and performing arts to teens and young adults with a variety of health conditions. C.H.O.I.R. stands for "Camp for Hematology, Oncology, Immunology, and Rheumatology". While we hold weekend workshop camps throughout the year for teens and young adults with chronic health conditions and their siblings, we also offer additional programming such as our 4 to 5 free family arts outings a year. In addition, we provide arts outreach to youth in hospitals, and provide awareness for the health conditions our C.H.O.I.R. families are facing.
Its missions is to break through health limitations and uncover the creative potential in teens and young adults with Hematology, Oncology, Immunology, and Rheumatology disorders and to foster a common bond through the arts for chronically ill individuals and their families.
About Marcus Center for the Performing Arts
Owned and partially funded by Milwaukee County, the Marcus Center has been the premier entertainment destination for Milwaukee and Wisconsin since 1969. It provides the setting for outstanding cultural experiences, where the arts come to life for current and future generations. Located in the heart of the Downtown Theater District, the Marcus Center is a community facility that offers live performances of opera, ballet, children's theater, symphony and first-class national touring productions. For more information visit www.MarcusCenter.org.
