01 & 14 (80)Public Comment
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Dear Anaheim City Council,
Victoria Viren <
Friday, April 23, 2021 9:32 AM
Public Comment
info@anaheimballet.org
Upcoming vote: Support for Anaheim Ballet
My name is Victoria - I'm currently a resident of the East Bay Area, but I was born and raised in Anaheim and will always
call it home.
I'm emailing this morning in response to the upcoming April 27th City Council vote pertaining to Anaheim Ballet's home
and partnership with the city.
The Anaheim Ballet is a staple for the city and I wholeheartedly urge you to support the agreement allowing the studio
and the city to continue its partnership and negotiate a home.
This studio not only provides a place to experience and absorb arts education and culture, which sadly continually loses
funding despite being essential for life skills, but this studio has always been a place that fosters accessible community
engagement and well being for all walks of life - despite age, race, and economic status. The programs and scholarships
offered through the studio provide so much for kids who need a space for self expression, or even just a place to engage
positively with others. This studio was my home, and the relationships I made there are relationships to last a lifetime.
This studio helped me persist through some of the most difficult chapters of life.
The skills learned from Anaheim Ballet have, without doubt, shaped me to be a stronger, better individual, and I truly
believe everyone I've met through the Anaheim Ballet have all shaped into positive individuals who step up for their
communities, families and friends.
I think most everyone agrees that affordable housing is essential for basic living, but taking away one essential piece of
the pyramid doesn't make up for the other essential piece you took from.
Please consider prolonging a partnership with this rare treasure of Anaheim. The next generation needs continued
exposure to everything Anaheim Ballet has to offer - In not just the arts, but in leadership, not-for-profit work and the
importance of volunteering, and essentials for the human experience.
Thank you for your considerations.
Sincerely,
Victoria Viren
Former resident of Anaheim and dancer with the Anaheim Ballet