May 14. 2014
^Çortlani» ©bscrüer CAREERS Special.
Page II
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Alberta
North Portland
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Providing year-round quality ballet, lyrical and tap classes for students who are genuinely interested in the arts and whose families and schools cannot provide such
opportunities is the mission of The Aspire Project, a north Portland non-profit. The community is invited to see Aspire students perform during a free recital on June 8
at 3:30 p.m. at Roosevelt High School.
Ballerina Aspirations
by E rin R. F ried
It is not everyday that a 5th grader has the
opportunity to dance in front of 400 plus
people, a performance most adults would
shy away from in a heartbeat. But there is no
doubt this 5th grader, Anna, is excited. And
she says the best way to achieve her aspira
tion to be ballerina someday is “to take a lot
of classes and do the best you can.”
Anna is one of the many economically
disadvantaged students learning ballet from
The Aspire Project, a non-profit dance orga
nization teaching classes out of their studio
in the historic Ethos Interstate Firehouse
Cultural Center on North Interstate Avenue.
In conjunction with the after-school pro
grams of SUN Community Schools and slid
ing scale tuition rates, these dance classes
are made accessible to youth who have a
passion for dance, regardless of the families’
financial situation. And once a year, these
students exhibit their hard work in front of a
huge crowd.
The community is invited to the free spring
recital on Sunday, June 8 at 3:30 p.m. at
Roosevelt High School in north Portland.
Simply by attending, the community can
give back through the easy contribution of
moral support.
For most of the children, the upcoming
performance empowers them to work hard
and seek positive avenues to achieve their
aspirations, an investment in their well-be
ing that lasts a lifetime.
"It gives these girls confidence in them
selves," Aspire Project Executive Director
Sue Darrow said. "No matter what their cir
cumstances are, they know that if they work
hard enough, and practice, they'll be able to
accomplish what they set out to do and
aspire to be whatever they want to be.”
The Aspire Project’s mission to provide
all children the chance to dance and encour
age them, their families and their communi
ties.
The opportunities are made possible al
most entirely through the financial generos
ity of Darrow and her husband and co
founder, Dan Darrow.
For Sue Darrow, it’s all about giving back
continued
on page 17