Take a group of kids who love to perform, take away the competition of the theater world and the usual drama that surrounds it, and instead add the desire to give back to their community and there you have the Teen Angel Project. This idea, conceived in a dream by a mom was what gave birth to this community service organization. She wanted her daughter and her friends to be able to use their passion of singing and dancing to bring smiles to the faces of those going through difficult times.
When my mom told me how my friend’s mom told her about this idea of us performing for community service I immediately wanted in on it. Although belonging to the group would also help me fulfill the community service hours eventually needed to graduate, it was really the thought of being able to make someone’s day by doing something as simple as singing a song to them that really made my decision. To me, the best thing about being an actress is being able to take the audience on a journey away from their everyday lives.The ability to be able to relieve the pain, stress, and loneliness of anyone’s life even if it’s just for a few minutes or an hour makes me feel absolutely wonderful.
Teen Angel Project (TAP) is made up of two performing groups – one has 29 high school students (TAP) and another has 20 middle school students (TAPjr). The students come from many different schools in the Montgomery County Area. I had already known many of the performers before the groups started, and even performed with many of them before, but I’ve made lots of new friends during the rehearsals. It’s just so delightful to be spending time with so many talented, friendly, and supportive people.
The directors, Jason Strunk and Tammy Roberts are just as enthusiastic as the performers. Rehearsals are focused on hard work and putting together the best performances we can while having fun. Both groups have the same focus on giving back to the community and strive to have a socially aware attitude.
TAP and TAPjr. are very excited to already have booked many performance venues including Rockville Lutheran Home, Leisure World, Potomac Day, Autism Speaks, and many of the Hebrew Home buildings. Personally, I’m most looking forward to performing for the veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. I am sure I can speak for all of TAP, that to be able to give back to the people who serve our country and protect us everyday is a great honor.
We are all very excited to see the Teen Angel Project launch and provide a source of joy for those in need in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, and hopefully beyond.
Go to our website to read more about TAP and “like” us on Facebook!
What a wonderful undertaking… as the holidays are growing near you would have the ability to reach out and lighten the hearts of so many
who deserve the feeling of joy in their lives… love ya , hugs from C & H
Dear DCMetroTheaterArts,
Thank you so much for all of your support! It is so nice to see how the local media and community have embraced Teen Angel Project and given its performers a chance to share their own personal joy. This is a great article and we look forward to many more interactions with the media!