Access to the arts can be out of reach for some. A 9-year-old Brush Prairie girl hopes to change that.
Adele Anaya, a dancer and theater actor, started a nonprofit called Tix for Tots. The organization, which launched in September, aims to help children who can’t afford tickets to movies, theater and dance performances, concerts, museums and other art experiences.
Adele, who runs the nonprofit alongside her parents, has already helped eight families buy tickets to theatrical performances. The family hopes Tix for Tots can grow to reach even more kids across Clark County.
“I was just thinking that things were getting really expensive and other people may not be able to afford it,” Adele said. “We were thinking it would be cool to do fundraisers to raise money to buy tickets for kids.”
Tix for Tots has a Facebook page and an online platform set up for donations. Leah Anaya, Adele’s mother and vice president of the nonprofit, said they hope to connect with other nonprofits in Clark County and eventually build a website.
“It’s important to her. She has a really big heart and she loves people. So when her dad and I realized this is a big thing she cared about, we decided to make it happen,” Leah Anaya said.
Adele has already met with board members from Bridge the Gap of Southwest Washington, a nonprofit that serves abused and neglected children, to discuss ways to deliver more meaningful art experiences to kids. Eventually, Adele wants Tix for Tots to host a fundraising event or art showcase to raise money.
“It’s actually pretty amazing. It’s great to see her put her heart out there for other people,” said Jeff Anaya, Adele’s father. “She does a lot of the work, writes emails. It’s not just an idea. It’s an actual action that she’s putting into motion and creating something. As parents, it makes us feel that we’re doing something right.”
Art for art’s sake
Adele has been dancing with a competition team at The Studio Dance Company in Battle Ground for six years and acting with Journey Theater in Vancouver for two years. Her own experience with the arts is part of what influenced her to start Tix for Tots.
Adele said she did not want money to be the reason kids in the community didn’t get to have fun art experiences.
“It just makes me happy, and I want other people to experience what I feel about it,” Adele said.
According to the Washington State Arts Commission, also known as ArtsWA, the arts — which include theater, dancing and music — foster children’s success in school, contribute to quality of life and drive the economy.
But access to the arts isn’t equal.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences reported that nationally, students with parents who are Black or Latino, without a college degree or making less than $50,000 a year, were less likely to have received any arts education in school.
Cemal Richardson, treasurer of Tix for Tots and a longtime friend of the Anaya family, said it is a positive thing to help youth through the arts, but that efforts tend to start too late.
“When I was growing up, if I would’ve brought that same idea to my mom, it would’ve been knocked down,” Richardson said. “So, with Jeff and Leah allowing Adele to do this and starting early at the age she is, she can be getting something started that can transform her life.”
In 2018, the city of Vancouver put together a strategic plan that outlines ways to expand city-supported arts and culture programs and promote culture, arts and heritage in community members’ daily lives.
In Vancouver, nonprofits including Southwest Washington Center for the Arts, theARTScentered and Artstra are working to uplift the community through the arts. Tix for Tots is now the newest addition.
“We know this isn’t fleeting,” Leah Anaya said of her daughter’s nonprofit. “She’s got a lot of talent, and she uses it all for good. She likes to bring joy and happiness to people, and it’s just really cool to watch.”
