Barrel of Monkeys

Today’s guest philanthropist is my best friend Megan.  We’ve been friends for over 10 years, and truth be told we’re going to have to stay friends probably forever, because at this point she knows too much.  Any sort of riff, and I run the risk of people finding out about my closet Rod Stewart obsession, what grade I actually got in Theatre History, or what I really think about your boyfriend/outfit/party/etc.

Megan and I met in college where we were both acting majors, so I wanted to pick some kind of artsy, educationy organization to give to.  I did some searching on Crowdrise* and came across Barrel of Monkeys. Much like Found, I know of Barrel of Monkeys, but for whatever reason I hadn’t thought to donate to them. 

Barrel of Monkeys is ‘an arts education theatre ensemble that works with some of the most underserved students in Chicago’.  BOM’s mission ‘is to create an alternative learning environment where children share their personal voices and celebrate the power of their imaginations’.  In the simplest form, BOM teaches kids creative writing in a super safe and supportive setting.  Then, they take their stories, and using professional actors, adapt them for the stage.  You can see these new works at their ever changing   "That's Weird Grandma!", which performs weekly, and which I highly recommend checking out.

Organization:  Barrel of Monkeys

I donated:  $20.00

Megan donated:  $10.00

total:  $30.00

*Also check out my friend Carlo's Crowdrise page.