(UPDATED: 3:54pm 9/15 with the current list of needs)
We were so saddened to hear about the fire at Lee Elementary. It’s less than a mile away from our theater, the school is in the neighborhood (Tampa Heights) of some of our artists and board members (myself included), many of our good friends have children that go there and work with the PTA. I keep seeing those friends posting about their “#FamiLee” and how much it means.
I am seeing numerous GoFundMe’s and drive collection points pop up. Our Friends at Fodder & Shine, for instance, have a collection point set up on their patio 24 hours a day right now. I just read Coppertail Brewing purchased the 50 thumb drives and 25 speakers the school needed. Victoria Rios, my apprentice for the season, asked me yesterday how we could help and we’ve quickly put our heads together to come up with this:
- On Wed., Sep. 20, we sill serve as a collection point for books and/or items that the school is still in need of (out in front of the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center). Our collection point will be open from noon until until 11pm when our performance of The Flick ends.
- As an incentive for folks to give, we will hand out a voucher that can be taken to the box office for a $15 ticket to that night’s 8pm performance. If we run out of tickets that night, we will make good on the offer for another night during our final weekend, based on current availability.
- In addition to the drive we are committing one of our performances of The Tempest to Lee Elementary students and will provide that show at no charge to the school. We’ll also provide both a pre- and post-performance outreach on curriculum points of their choosing.
Needed supplies include:
#2 pencils | pencil boxes/cases | erasers | pens | spiral notebooks | composition books | wide-ruled notebook paper | glue sticks | scissors | construction paper | poster boards | pocket folders | index cards| binders | dividers | dry-erase markers | washable markers | highlighters | calculators | post-it notes | tissue | hand sanitizer | art supplies | craft supplies | reading books (age K-5) | engineering-type building sets | Legos | musical instruments (violins, guitars, African drums, and other string and percussion cultural instruments) | cultural costumes, props and hats | Flags, posters, games, puzzles and literature from other continents | supplies for classes on sewing, yoga, chess, photography, weaving and cryptography
Additional teacher needs include:
- 800 personal white boards
- Painter’s tape/sticky tack
- Gorilla/duct tape
- Copy paper (white/color)
- Lamination paper
- Containers (13x16x7)
- File folders (color)
- Hanging file
- Sharpies
- Highlighter tape
- Binder clips
- Sheet protectors
- Clipboards
Stay #TampaStrong.
