For Sarah Schultz, one of the most enjoyable aspects of her job as development coordinator for Shelter House, a non-profit organization providing emergency housing and supportive services in Fairfax County, is finding in-kind donations for the children and families she serves.
"Financial donations make the work of Shelter House possible, but nothing puts a bright smile on the face of a 10-year-old like a surprise trip to the theater," she said. Theater and the arts were formative elements in Schultz's own childhood, and she has fond memories of attending the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap with her mother and sisters year after year.
When she contacted the Arts Council of Fairfax County, which has been producing this Festival for 38 years, to request a donation of tickets, Schultz was thrilled to learn that complimentary tickets, as well as gift bags and snacks, were available through the Arts Council's Special Guests Program. Each year, the Arts Council reaches out to over 60 service organizations reaching under-served or at-risk communities to invite over 3,000 children and families to attend the Festival as their special guests. Among those attending the International Children's Festival for the first time this weekend will be some of the smiling Shelter House faces that Schultz loves.
For Schultz, the Festival affords children something beyond the fun of hands-on arts activities, roving entertainers, an Arts & Technology pavilion, and continuous performances on four stages throughout the park — it offers a wider view of the world. The diversity of Fairfax County and even of the children currently staying with Shelter House, some of whom come from Africa and Europe, is mirrored on the Festival stages.
As a child, Schultz was extremely shy and she credits the arts with helping her to become more out-going. "Normally, I would hide behind my mother's skirt," she said. But at the International Children's Festival, she saw dynamic young performers — including children her own age — and their enthusiasm touched her. "I remember the dancers coming out into the meadow and dancing with crowd. And all of a sudden I was dancing with them."
Schultz is excited to return to the International Children's Festival this weekend, once again with her mother, who brought her there for the first time many years ago, and also with her own seven-year old daughter and the children of Shelter House.
<b>By Susanna Rosenbaum</b>
Arts Council of Fairfax County