My Nonprofit Reviews

I have known Harmony Theater for more than 20 years through my dear friend, Carol, who is a founding member of this wonderful, caring, and inclusive group. Everyone is welcome at Harmony Theater, and to see the actors and directors interact with one another, to feel the genuine warmth each of them brings to rehearsals and shows, is to enter a world that is full of imagination, humor, music, laughter, cameraderie, and love that seldom can be found in the "real" world. We should all be so lucky to have a little Harmony Theater in our lives! During the pandemic the directors and Board found a way to bring all of the actors together every week. It had a great impact on Carol as well as the other actors to be able to see everyone and keep Harmony going. It is so inspiring to witness the planning, committment, and hard work of the directors, parents, caregivers, and friends of Harmony Theater actors. This dedicated group works so hard to ensure this organization can continue to provide a place of welcome for adults who are differently abled. I have learned so much with my involvement with Harmony Theater, but more importantly, I have received so much more in return.

I have been privileged to be a part of the Harmony Theater family for about 18 years now. I have watched it progress over the years from a small group of committed educators to a larger organization that is remarkable in its focus on the actors, their needs, and how best to continue to provide them with the activities, funding, and support that they need to thrive - as individuals and as a cohesive unit. Watching how the leadership of Harmony Theater powered through the challenges of keeping the actors together throughout the pandemic, and making online rehearsals so inclusive and fun every week was just one of the many things that make me more appreciative of what everyone does for the organization. It makes me so proud to be a small part of Harmony, and I am so happy that my actor friend is a part of that wonderful circle of creativity, inclusivity, and love!

I have been receiving very nice - and expensive to produce - solicitations from this organization. Last week Christmas cards, this weekend, a large envelope with a reuseable shopping bag, notepaper, and more cards. I researched and found out the school is affiliated with the priests of the Sacred Heart; however, further research on the school has me re-thinking my donations. Expensive advertising outreach as mentioned, plus nothing about them on Charity Navigator ( because they presumably do not file an online Form 990, which is available to the public), plus employee statements on Glassdoor.com have made me decide to support an organization which spends more on the children it helps and whose numbers of children helped are higher. St Joseph's Indian School employs about 400 people but only supports about 200 children. They also use only .71 of a $1.00 for the organization. I have to wonder where the money is going.

Harmony Theater has fostered a strong community of actors and actors' families, and created a place of belonging for our actors, who many times feel marginalized.
In the 15 or so years I have been bringing actors to Saturday rehearsals, I have seen Harmony Theater grow, expand, and bring that sense of belonging to more actors every year.
No matter how tired, grumpy, sad, or down you might feel on Saturday mornings you can't help but smile at the sight of so many actors greeting one another and the directors. Their very posture, confidence and demeanor says, "This is my world; I belong here!"
The actors revel in the camaraderie and fellowship the directors have cultivated, and are committed to their roles in the productions. It's a constant joy to watch, and I feel privileged to bring my 83-years young actor to Harmony every Saturday from September through May.
The pandemic has been especially hard on people with disabilities who have been at home since their sheltered workshops remain closed and their social outlets - churches, jobs, libraries have been closed, or the actors have been restricted due to age or underlying conditions.
The Harmony Theater directors hit the ground running when our state closed down. Harmony actors received notes and cards; there were frequent videos posted by the directors for the actors that encouraged dancing, crafts, and singing - and most importantly, let the actors know that their directors missed them as much as the actors missed the directors.
Harmony Theater is a family that puts the fun in FUNctional - with the added benefits of creativity, support and love!