OK, I admit it – I’m an emotional gal. So writing about the first 2 weeks of the 3-week RISK filmmaking program is going to send me over the edge. The girls of Girls Behind the Camera have been so enthusiastic, so creative, so engaged, so willing to embrace all the technology, so very wonderful – it’s tough to be dry-eyed when thinking about how successful the program Tara Veneruso developed truly is. It’s amazing to think that the girls in Kansas City and St. Joseph can now:
- Talk about plot, genre and climax like a professional screenwriter.
- Develop their own scripts with the storytelling tools they’ve learned.
- Pick up cameras, boom mics and lights with confidence to shoot and direct their fellow students’ films. Plus, the acting, animation and teamwork skills they’ve learned are priceless. And even if these girls don’t choose a video/film production path in their lives, they’ve now been exposed to a world outside their normal realm – the better to open
their eyes to other possibilities that may come their way.
Though we have one more week of the program, it’s not too late for anyone to make a difference. To make a tax-deductible Sponsor-a-Girl donation to RISK via Red Echo Group, our not-for-profit producer of RISK, send a check today payable to “Red Echo Group” to:
Red Echo Group
ATTN: RISK Sponsorship
299 Paseo Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64106
Whether you send in $50 or $5,000, you’ll be helping us meet our financial obligations for picking up and dropping off the girls at their homes (a shout out to our valuable mentors and drivers); feeding them breakfast, lunch and snacks (the girls put in at least 8-hour days!);
and educating them (we’ve had exceptional guest teachers).
We’d also like to thank the University of Missouri-Kansas City – and especially Dr. Thomas Poe, Kevin Mullin and Jennifer Underwood – for letting us house the KC program at Haag Hall for the entire 3 weeks. Their support, and those of our other generous benefactors, is truly
making a difference in at-risk girls’ lives. – Linda
P.S. Check us out in the Kansas City Star! For an instant contribution (non tax-deductible), click here to contribute via PayPal.