On Friday, April 24th a group of 20 Purpose staff members travelled to the South Bronx where they dedicated a day of service with the Hunts Point Alliance for Children (HPAC), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “work with families to support the educational progress of the children of Hunts Point.” The organization annually serves over 300 students and their families and reaches another 2,000 students through their community events and school partnerships. You can learn more about their comprehensive and innovative community programs here.
For the past 8 years HPAC has teamed up with the Shakespeare Society to form the Hunts Point Children’s Shakespeare Ensemble, working with students from local public, charter, and independent schools to perform one of Shakespeare’s plays. This year a group of motivated fourth, fifth, and sixth graders have immersed themselves in the world of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night which they will be performing in early May.
Purpose volunteers spent the day constructing and painting key set pieces, creating a giant ship out of cardboard, and hauling materials onto the stage that will be used in the upcoming performance. HPAC Chief of Strategy Officer, Jill Roche, also gave the Purpose staff a tour around the neighborhood to learn more about the history of Hunts Point and some of the challenges facing many of the children in the area.
To wrap up the day the volunteers were able to get a behind the scenes look at a student rehearsal, and were then treated to a beautiful performance by the Twelfth Night children’s chorus.
Performances for family and community members will be held in Hunts Point on May 1st and 2nd (free admission for all attendees). A benefit performance for the greater NYC community will be held on May 3rd at the Sheen Center in Manhattan. You can purchase a ticket here to attend the benefit performance and support the vital work of HPAC.
Check out some of our favorite moments from the day:
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