Fostering the Arts

Fostering the Arts is 501(c)(3) organization which was formed in 2001 to provide Massachusetts children in foster care or involved with the juvenile court system access to the arts in a variety of ways. We pay for dance, art, voice and instrument lessons and if the child needs costumes, dance shoes or a musical instrument, we provide that as well. We also buy tickets for live shows for foster families. During the summer we give group homes tickets to summer theater productions on the North Shore and South Shore. Last Christmas we sent a foster family with three children to see the live Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer production at the Colonial Theater in Boston. Their social worker reported that the children were thrilled! One young woman who is in the permanent custody of the Department of Children and Families is studying dance at the Boston Academy for the Arts and we have provided tickets for her to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company for the past two years. She says that she has been really inspired by watching these professional dancers. We have also paid for several children to take art classes at the Museum of Fine Arts. We get referrals from social workers, attorneys, probation officers and judges. We require evidence that the child is in state custody or court involved and a letter explaining what the child needs. We do not find the classes or events--that is up to the foster parent or social worker. We then pay the provider when we get an invoice. We have purchased guitars, a flute, drum sets, a saxophone and a couple of bass guitars. As long as we have money, we honor all requests. We believe that these children, many of whom have lived in many foster homes, deserve the opportunity to explore the arts and possibly find that they have a talent which we can help nurture, and that is something they can hold on to. We are lawyers who work with children in foster care and see the need to provide them with something more than just a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs. We hope to provide them experiences that will enrich their lives. We are not compensated for our time.