Ford’s Theatre Society announced that audiences, cast, crew, and staff raised $47,268.36 on behalf of For Love of Children during performances of this season’s production of A Christmas Carol. Since 2009, Ford’s has raised more than $950,000 for Washington-area charities, aiding thousands within the DC area in the spirit of giving and charity expressed in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
A Christmas Carol companies traditionally vote for a charity of choice, then collect donations following curtain calls for performances throughout the run. This year’s company selected For Love of Children. Donations were collected from November 18 to December 23, 2022, with a final check presentation on December 27. Patrons could make a gift in person, by mail, or online at fords.org. Members of the company and crew for A Christmas Carol and Ford’s Theatre Society staff also contributed to the campaign.
For Love of Children offers educational support to children throughout the DC metro area, giving underserved students resources to succeed outside of the classroom through tutoring, test readiness coaching, and programs like their City Leaders Program Scholars. The organization creates a continuum of learning from second grade through college and careers. Fueled by volunteers, they have served over 10,000 children since 1965.
Past organizations that A Christmas Carol companies have selected for the charity drive include TheatreWashington’s Taking Care Fund, Bright Beginnings, Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, House of Ruth, Food & Friends, N Street Village, Bread for the City, Covenant House Washington, Martha’s Table, Miriam’s Kitchen, So Others Might Eat (SOME), and Thrive DC. To learn more about the impact that Ford’s has made through past charity drives, read our 10th-anniversary blog from 2018.
“As our youth company returned to A Christmas Carol after two years, we are pleased to aid an organization that works tirelessly to advocate for underserved young people in need of support for their education and livelihood,” said Ford’s Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault. “Our charity drive is a long-running tradition that always shows the best of the DC community. We’re grateful to our company of A Christmas Carol and our patrons for continuing to take the lesson of generosity instilled by this story to their actions beyond the theater.”
“Data shows that too many young people in DC don’t have the skills and knowledge to enter the workforce, as barely half of DCPS students graduate from high school. We believe that all young people can be, and deserve to be, full, contributing members of our community,” said LaToya Clark, acting executive director of For Love of Children. “We send our heartfelt thanks to Ford’s Theatre for their kind spirit of giving, in line with our radical commitment towards opening doors for our children’s education and future.”
Ford’s Theatre Society
A working theater, historical monument, world-class museum, and learning center, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in Washington, DC, to explore and celebrate the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ford’s Theatre offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in America’s past while revealing meaningful connections to today. For more information on Ford’s Theatre and the Ford’s Theatre Society, please visit fords.org.
For Love of Children
For Love of Children (FLOC) provides out-of-classroom educational services to DC’s under-resourced youth to help students succeed from second grade to college and beyond, serving 600 students annually with the support of over 400 volunteers. one hundred percent of FLOC’s City Leaders Program Scholars graduate from high school. Learn more about the FLOC at floc.org.
