sandler-center

Volunteer Appreciation

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:22:39 GMT

April 19th-25th is Volunteer Appreciation Week! Help us show some love to everyone behind the scenes helping SCF's long-term impact! Volunteers, Board members, educators, retirees, naval meteorologists, caterers, musicians, dancers, we could go on - they all dedicate their time and talents to bringing the arts to our youth and community. Now, we're shouting out one of our longest volunteers, Sue Ellen Teach, who has been helping the Foundation for almost 20 years!

Sue Ellen retired from teaching over 22 years ago. A friend of hers got her to sign up as a volunteer at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts during student visits to the building. Hundreds of children were brought in by the busload to see live performances, growing to thousands over the years! Sue Ellen got to see it all in action.

She soon spoke with Annie Sandler, who asked her to be on the Sandler Center Foundation's Education Committee. The Committee, made up of members from the community with a passion for learning and engagement, met once a month to make selections for student matinees. We owe them a huge THANK YOU for making live theater accessible to children across the city.

One of Sue Ellen's favorite projects in the early days of the Foundation was receiving feedback from kids who attended the matinees. The Education Committee asked students to create drawings, which were then turned into thank-you cards. It was a fun way to get them and their families involved.

This idea largely inspired our recent "Spruce Up For Spring" coloring contest! Read the full story here .

Sue Ellen stays active with SCF, helping select Virtual Academy performances that reach students throughout Southeast Virginia. She continues her community involvement, too; there's not a day when she isn't out and about! From the Jewish Family Service who contributes Christmas boxes for their clientele, to being active in Senior Social clubs, she gives much of herself to local organizations. She says, "The more you have people involved, the more they give."

Thank you, Sue Ellen! And thank you to all our amazing volunteers who give their time, resources, and dedication to supporting our mission. Learn more about how you can help us make an impact.

"Spruce Up For Spring" Contest Winners!

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:12:18 GMT

If you've been following along in our monthly newsletter, you saw that we announced the winner of our recent Spruce Up For Spring coloring contest. We decided to kick the miserable weather to the curb and do something fun just in time for spring.

We put out the call, asking our educators to enlist their students' artistic talents. Inspired by Ballet Virginia's "Alice in Wonderland" at the Sandler Center, we asked them to draw their favorite scene from “Alice in Wonderland” or their favorite story.

They delivered! Sueann Barros, Visual Arts Teacher at Greenbrier Primary School in Chesapeake, sent us a drawing from one of her students that our team flipped for. Elsbeth (Grade 2) captured the spirit of Alice's adventure.

And guess what? We sent Elsbeth, her homeroom teacher Mrs. Scianna, Ms. Barros, and their guests to the show!

Pictured below:

From left to right: Greenbrier Primary Counselor Mrs. Thompson, Ms. Barros, Greenbrier Primary Principal Ms. Lowden, Mrs. Scianna, Ballet Virginia Dancer, Elsbeth and her family.

Congratulations, Elsbeth!

SCF fosters engagement through children’s arts-oriented education.

Learn more about our impact here .

When the Arts Become a Lifeline: Celebrating Social Emotional Learning Month

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 21:24:02 GMT

March is National Social Emotional Learning Month — a time to honor the quiet, powerful moments when children learn who they are, how they feel, and how to connect with the world around them. At the Sandler Center Foundation, we see those moments every day. They unfold in school gyms, in hallways transformed into discovery zones, in classrooms lit by a laptop screen, and in theaters where a child sits a little taller because they feel like they belong.

This is the story of how the arts help children grow — not just as students, but as humans.

Leveling the Performing Field Students at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.

A Dancer Walks Into a School Gym…

The bell rings, sneakers squeak, and a hundred kids settle onto the floor. Then the music starts. A dancer steps forward, and suddenly the room changes. Children buzzing with energy fall into a hush. They watch a story unfold without a single spoken word — a story told through courage, kindness, frustration, and hope.

This is On the Road with Richmond Ballet , and it’s more than a performance. It’s a lesson in empathy disguised as a fairy tale. It’s a chance for a child to see their own feelings reflected back at them in movement and color. It’s the moment a student whispers, “I feel like that sometimes,” and realizes they’re not alone.