Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Dallas Summer Musicals to reintroduce Stage Right Program

By Pegasus News wire

Stage Right kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs standing with (clockwise from left): KTVT Channel 11 News Anchor Ginger Allen; Gary Griffith, chairman-elect, Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) board of directors; Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle; Carolyn Jordan, Boys and Girls Club; Michael A. Jenkins, president and managing director of DSM; 98.7 FM KLUV Morning Show Host Jody Dean; DPD Narcotics Detective Monty Moncibais, leader of Stage Right program since its inception; Mayor Tom Leppert; City Manager Mary Suhm; Councilman Sheffie Kadane; Darrell Fant, North Texas Crime Commission; Monty Mueller, Phoenix House; Charles English, Boys and Girls Club; Dr. Elba Garcia

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle and Michael Jenkins, president and managing director of Dallas Summer Musicals, will hold a press conference Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Music Hall at Fair Park, to discuss the objectives and success of the Stage Right program that introduces at-risk youth ages 10-15 to arts and culture events as well as introducing them to the “Positive Action / Anti Gang” self improvement and self esteem building summer curriculum.

Jenkins, who helped create the Stage Right initiative to reach out to at-risk students, and DPD Narcotics Detective Monty Moncibais, who heads up the program for DPD, will also speak. Stage Right Steering Committee members who will attend include Chris Hawkins, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Darrell Fant and Jean Dean of the North Texas Crime Commission; Jody Dean, KLUV Radio; Ginger Allen, Channel 11 News; Gail Gray, Phoenix House; Lori Sirmen and Tiffani Oltmanns, Dallas Summer Musicals; Carolyn Jordan, Boys and Girls Club; Herbert Moncibais, Hispanic Business Alliance; Gloria Moncibais, Hispanic Business Alliance; and Susan Moncibais, community activist.

Also present at the conference will be Monty Mueller of Phoenix House; Anita N. Martinez of the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico Company; Charles English of the Dallas Boys & Girls Club; Reginald Hurd of Dallas Parks and Recreation; Adam Mehl of the Dallas Mavericks; Billy Walker of Coca Cola Bottling of North Texas; and Eddie Campbell and Ed Campbell, of Campbell Concessions.

Stage Right’s mission statement is “raising the curtain for education and spotlighting the appreciation of the arts through experience and positive quality lifestyles.”

The students are recommended by DISD teachers and counselors, apartment, church, summer, and youth programs including Boys & Girls Clubs, Girls Inc., and Dallas Recreation Centers, as part of their ongoing efforts to keep students from joining gangs or engaging in other activities that prevent their enjoying success in school. Stage Right seeks to raise awareness of the arts, increase appreciation for different lifestyles, and also increase self esteem.

Last year, 400 students participated in Stage Right’s summer program, and this year’s attendance goal is to reach 800. For more information about Stage Right, please contact DPD Detective Moncibais at 214-537-8954. For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals, please call Lori Sirmen at 214-413-3961.

Source: Adams Communications PR

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