Send Reine to New York for Ballet Camp!
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Reine is a 13-year-old Lebanese girl with a strong passion for ballet. Her dream is to become a ballet teacher and to perform professionally on stage. She has lived all her life in a small, low-income neighborhood in Beirut, taking ballet lessons after school at a local NGO called Ayadina Association. She has never before had the opportunity to travel outside of Lebanon... until now.
Since 2012, Reine has been enrolled in The Nawaya Network, a local NGO that develops the talents of disadvantaged and marginalized youth.
In Summer 2013, Kathy Costa, the founder and owner of Danceworks Studios in New Jersey, noticed Reine's passion and talent from her online video on www.nawaya.org, and contacted The Nawaya Network to invite her to attend a two-week intensive ballet class this July 2014!
This invitation has practically changed Reine's life and her family's. Her parents have become much more interested and supportive of Reine's dancing, not allowing her to miss any lessons, and encouraging her to practice daily and to eat healthily. They have gained so much confidence in their daughter, and this has reflected so positively on Reine as well.
The Nawaya Network immediately set up a meeting with Ayadina Association and Reine's parents, and sorted out all the details. As Reine is still too young to travel alone, it was agreed that her mother would be traveling with her.
Since they have never traveled before, we processed their new passports, submitted an application to the US Embassy for a visa, found them an English tutor who has been meeting with them three times a week, and began production on a documentary film to share Reine's exciting story with the world!
Most importantly, we received the most exciting news to date: British Airways has generously offered Reine and her mother two free roundtrip tickets!
In addition, her dance instructor has offered them a place to stay in her home. Reine is already half-way there!
To make this trip a reality, we are crowdfunding to raise the remaining funds for their trip. Reine will be splitting her time between New York and New Jersey -- taking ballet lessons in Montclair while driving into Manhattan to watch Swan Lake at Lincoln Center, visit the Julliard School, meet with professional ballerinas, and tour the city.
This crowdfunding campaing will cover their local tutoring lessons, transportation, food, tickets to ballet shows, and expenses associated with filming them throughout the two-week period in New York.
We are also searching for a company interested in sponsoring the costs of the full documentary film, so please get in touch at [email redacted] for more information. Any extra donations raised online will also be used to cover the costs of producing the film, which will be released online in late Summer 2014.
We are truly grateful for your generous donations, and look forward to sharing all of Reine's updates here and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheNawayaNetwork
Thank you all for your support!
Since 2012, Reine has been enrolled in The Nawaya Network, a local NGO that develops the talents of disadvantaged and marginalized youth.
In Summer 2013, Kathy Costa, the founder and owner of Danceworks Studios in New Jersey, noticed Reine's passion and talent from her online video on www.nawaya.org, and contacted The Nawaya Network to invite her to attend a two-week intensive ballet class this July 2014!
This invitation has practically changed Reine's life and her family's. Her parents have become much more interested and supportive of Reine's dancing, not allowing her to miss any lessons, and encouraging her to practice daily and to eat healthily. They have gained so much confidence in their daughter, and this has reflected so positively on Reine as well.
The Nawaya Network immediately set up a meeting with Ayadina Association and Reine's parents, and sorted out all the details. As Reine is still too young to travel alone, it was agreed that her mother would be traveling with her.
Since they have never traveled before, we processed their new passports, submitted an application to the US Embassy for a visa, found them an English tutor who has been meeting with them three times a week, and began production on a documentary film to share Reine's exciting story with the world!
Most importantly, we received the most exciting news to date: British Airways has generously offered Reine and her mother two free roundtrip tickets!
In addition, her dance instructor has offered them a place to stay in her home. Reine is already half-way there!
To make this trip a reality, we are crowdfunding to raise the remaining funds for their trip. Reine will be splitting her time between New York and New Jersey -- taking ballet lessons in Montclair while driving into Manhattan to watch Swan Lake at Lincoln Center, visit the Julliard School, meet with professional ballerinas, and tour the city.
This crowdfunding campaing will cover their local tutoring lessons, transportation, food, tickets to ballet shows, and expenses associated with filming them throughout the two-week period in New York.
We are also searching for a company interested in sponsoring the costs of the full documentary film, so please get in touch at [email redacted] for more information. Any extra donations raised online will also be used to cover the costs of producing the film, which will be released online in late Summer 2014.
We are truly grateful for your generous donations, and look forward to sharing all of Reine's updates here and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheNawayaNetwork
Thank you all for your support!
Organizer
Zeina Saab
Organizer
Redlands, CA