Doing Good in the Neighborhood: The Transformative Power of the Arts

Nestled in the historic Durham neighborhood of Walltown is the Walltown Children's Theatre, founded in 2000 by Cynthis Penn Halal. For 16 years, Walltown Children's Theatre has provided year-round performing arts instruction for young people: music, dance, theater, and so much more.

Yet the mission of Walltown Children's Theatre is not simply to offer arts education.

"We're helping to create a new expression of community," says Meg Feigal, Innovative Operations Director. "We're also kind of in the business of changing lives."

The Theatre's after-school programming offers a safe space where youth can work towards constructive goals. "What we're doing here is so much more than performing arts classes," says Feigal. The diverse team of arts instructors serve as mentors and encourage students to think critically about how problems can be solved from more than one angle. With a distinct commitment to fostering positive, creative interaction among diverse students, and a deep belief in the transformative power of the arts, Walltown Children's Theatre hopes to inspire positive social change.

Click here to meet Feigal and see a day in the life of the Walltown Children's Theatre summer camp.

Walltown Children's Theatre is just one of the Youth Empowerment organizations supported by Duke employees through Duke's Doing Good in the Neighborhood. To learn more about the employee giving campaign and make a donation, visit http://doinggood.duke.edu/.

10 percent of all donations to the Duke Community Giving categories (Health, Neighborhoods, Schools, Youth Empowerment and the Community Care Fund) will be directed toward Governor McCrory’s Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund to support long-term recovery efforts, such as cleaning, repairing and rebuilding homes. Read more here.