By Bruce Bronstein, Executive Director, Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts
“Art is essential. It is a place of listening, where we learn about the aspirations and wounds of humanity, its thirst for beauty, for justice and peace, and its search for meaning.” — Pope Leo XIV
Last year, Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts formed a unique partnership with the Peninsula Community Foundation to support their annual Children's Holiday Fund. As community partners, we believe deeply in the transformative power of the arts, and we share a common cause: ensuring that those in need during the holiday season can celebrate with warm clothes, hot meals, and a surprise gift or two.
Our partnership is simple yet impactful: $1 from every ticket purchased for a Ferguson Center Family Attraction is donated directly to the Children's Holiday Fund. Additionally, the Foundation actively connects the Ferguson Center with local non-profit groups whose members can benefit from our Arts for All program. Foundation representatives are also present in our lobby during these family shows, offering patrons an opportunity to learn more about their vital service across our region.
This year, on November 30, the Ferguson Center is honored to host the Foundation’s annual awards presentation. This event recognizes this year’s grant recipients and presents them with their checks. Following the presentation, all attendees will be invited as guests to enjoy the Canadian Brass Holiday concert featuring the remarkable talent of our own Peninsula Youth Orchestra.
"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
All of this stems from the Ferguson Center’s commitment to Arts for All—our fundamental belief that the arts are essential and transformative, and that we must work together as a community to remove any obstacles that keep our friends and neighbors from participating.
It is partnerships like this that fill me with hope. While the world often feels increasingly challenging, we have the power to care for one another one-on-one, eye-to-eye. Together, we can lift each other up and celebrate a community grounded in love, kindness, shared experiences, and an appreciation of our differences.
The Peninsula Community Foundation gives local non-profit organizations a leg up, but it also does something even greater: it brings people together from all walks of life with a shared purpose to take care of one another. That is what makes living on the Virginia Peninsula truly special. Yes, we have exceptional arts organizations, great schools, excellent healthcare, and wonderful weather—but our real treasure is our people. Our people support all these amazing organizations that care for our neighbors and make Hampton Roads special, and it is our people who give me hope.
Join Us at the Ferguson Center If you are feeling hopeful and ready to enjoy world-class entertainment while supporting a great cause, we invite you to attend our upcoming Family Shows. Remember, every ticket purchased helps support the Peninsula Community Foundation’s Children's Holiday Fund!
To view performance dates and reserve your seats, visit FergusonCenter.org.