FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erin Weller Dalton
Office: 404-624-5295 ext 3011
erin@movinginthespirit.org
ATLANTA, Georgia — March 26, 2019 — On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, Moving in the Spirit gathered with project partners from MARTA, Columbia Ventures, and Perkins+Will to celebrate as the final steel beam was placed on the framework of the nonprofit’s new facility, A Space to Soar, at Edgewood/Candler Park Station.
Marking a major construction milestone, the topping off ceremony featured remarks from Moving in the Spirit’s board president, Jaimie Hardin, as well as two of its three co-founders, CEO Dana Lupton and COO Genene Stewart. Guests from all facets of Moving in the Spirit’s journey — including families, alumni, partners and donors — gathered to sign the beam before it was lifted into place. The beam was decorated with a poem written by Moving in the Spirit student Janan Mirza, age 17, representing the voices of all the young people who will soar in the new facility.
“It takes hands to build a building,” Mirza wrote. “It takes hearts to make a home. A Space to Soar is our destination. It is our home away from home.”
Once the facility is completed, Moving in the Spirit plans to scale the number of students it serves to 500 and reach thousands more through performances and workshops held in its new 150-seat theater. A Space to Soar‘s location directly on a MARTA rail line will help to ensure accessibility to the nonprofit’s creative youth development offerings.
“I believe A Space to Soar is going to be a portal for change,” said CEO Dana Lupton. “It will connect young people from across our city and nation to join together, support each other, and discover the skills they need to make the world a better place.”
Moving in the Spirit anticipates opening A Space to Soar in March 2020. The organization completed the initial threshold of its capital campaign last fall, raising $8.4 million for the project, and has launched a paver and seat-naming program to raise additional funds to outfit its new state-of-the-art theatre and build community partnerships.
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Moving in the Spirit is an award-winning creative youth development program that uses the discipline of dance to help children and teens develop the social, emotional, and cognitive skills they need to thrive. Founded in 1986, Moving in the Spirit directly serves 270 young people ages 3-18 each year through after-school and summer programs and reaches thousands more through performances and workshops. More information can be found at www.movinginthespirit.org.
Pictured from left to right: Moving in the Spirit Capital Campaign Committee: Sallie Beckwith Smith (Southern Accents Magazine, retired); Derin Dickerson (Alston & Bird); Randi Williams (FIG Partners, retired); Gayle Cummings (Holy Innocents Episcopal School, retired); Pam Wuichet (HarvestPlus, retired); Ralph Edwards (EBS Properties); Jaimie Hardin (Hardin & Associates Consulting, Inc.); Atiba Mbiwan (Zeist Foundation, Inc.); Genene Stewart (co-founder and COO, Moving in the Spirit); JD Scott (JD Scott Photography); Syd Williams (Residential Appraisal, retired); Dana Lupton (co-founder and CEO, Moving in the Spirit).
