Center
provides unity, creativity
By Monica Levette Clark
On-line Forty-Niner
Last
year the Families United Performing Arts
Center, a non-profit organization in Long
Beach dedicated to family bonding
through artistic expression, suffered a
damaging blow. Winter weather caused the
facility’s roof-top to cave in, resulting
in the cancellation of a Christmas play
participants spent months preparing.
“It was very devastating for the children,”
said Alfred Wells, founder of the Creative
Learning and Counseling center for problem
families. “This year we are having a play
no matter what.”
Wells has a bachelors degree in business
management and a masters in psychology He
established the center in 1999. He opened
the first facility in a loft in downtown
Long Beach, then moved the center to a larger
facility in Sept. 2001 to accommodate the
number of people who visited regularly.
As a haven for broken families of the community
to come and build a better foundation for
themselves, the center offers creative outlets
in the areas of music, performing and visual
arts.
“I wanted to have a place that incorporates
mental health with performing arts to try
to work with families and keep them together,”
he said. “I work with families who have
had children put in foster care or detention
centers. I try and help the parents prepare
safe environments for their child so they
can come home.”
The arts organization operates solely on
the amount of community involvement. The
organization said it is in need of volunteers,
especially college students, to insure its
success.
“We need screenwriters, dancers, poets,
musicians, vocal instructors, actors and
anyone with an artistic skill who is interested
in helping out and sharing their talent
for free,” Wells said.
Kathy Marks is one of the directors of the
Gospel Lounge, an event that is held on
the last Friday of every month at the center.
Marks who has been singing since fourth
grade, said she got involved with the organization
in Nov. 2001. She said she has recognized
the progress the center has made in the
lives of people.
“A lot of healing and change has taken place
in the lives of people who have been involved
with the center,” Marks said. “The Gospel
Lounge is a place where people can keep
that process going by ministering to each
other through music and song.”
The center offers services such as the use
of its 260 digital track recording and television
studios, which can be rented for $25 an
hour. Voice lessons, dance classes, piano
classes and acting classes are also held
for children and adults ranging from $3
to $10.
Jamaal Poston got involved with the organization
last year and volunteer’s his time by teaching
acting classes, writing, performing and
producing various plays at the center.
“It is refreshing to see people doing things
out here and there is so much potential
to do more,” Poston said.
The non-profit organization has a staff
of about 10 people who all devote their
time and effort to keeping the center going.
“We are all working with no salary right
now because we have no grants,” Wells said.
“A lot of what we do is out of pocket because
we believe in it so strongly and count on
God to provide for our needs and the needs
of the center.”
The organization received a grant for $500
from the Long Beach Public Corporation for
the Arts last year for a project that cost
around $5,000 to produce. This year Wells
said he is hoping to get more grants and
more sponsorship from business in the community.
An air conditioner, heater, computers and
computer software are some of the things
that the organization said it desperately
needs donated. The center plans to offer
computer animation classes to children interested
in using the medium as a means for creative
expression Wells said.
“We are not here to make money, we are here
to make dreams and as long as we have the
monetary support and the community involvement,
then we can continue to do that.” Wells
said
The
performing arts center is located at 1957
Long Beach Blvd., and can be reached at
(562) 218-1888.
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