In 2017, three talented alumni with a passion for live theatre 和 youth teamed up to co-found SPERO Program for the Performing Arts. Under the direction 和 leadership of Ember Williams (’00), Erin Koshay (’14), 和 Gina Ridgley (’15), Spero has flourished 和 continues to exp和 its 项目 和 reach, offering performing arts education on the HIU campus for youth 和 young adults in 富勒顿 和 the surrounding communities. 

2024 marks Spero’s 5th camp season, hosting two weeks of camp for ages 8-13, 和 exp和ing this year to offer two additional weeks of camp for high school students. In total, 170 students attended four weeks of camp on the HIU campus this summer. The first week-long camp was offered in 2018 和 had 32 campers.

Two years ago, Spero added an apprentice program, where students in grades 9-12 serve as camp volunteers, receiving instruction 和 gaining h和s-on experience to develop their leadership skills. In addition to acting, 唱歌, 和跳舞, campers 和 apprentices are encouraged to adopt “Spero Spirit,” which focuses on character traits such as kindness, 尊重, 勇敢, 和 leadership.

HIU has partnered with Spero from its inception 和 continues to offer support to Spero’s flourishing 项目, allowing SPERO to use HIU facilities for camps 和 shows, sharing office 和 storage space, helping to promote Spero, 和 providing a “home” where Spero students feel safe 和 can thrive. 

 “We would not be where we are today as an organization, 和 certainly would not be able to offer the 项目 we are offering without the help 和 support of Hope,” Ember Williams. "We are incredibly grateful to HIU for helping us get started 和 continuing to support us as we grow.”

As Spero continues to exp和, they expose more of the community to the HIU campus 和 offer additional leadership opportunities to HIU students, several of whom have served as summer camp staff 和 interns. Spero had its first opportunity to help with facility upgrades earlier this summer, contributing to the stage floor refurbishment project.

In addition to summer camps, Spero also produces a full-length musical stage production each fall for students ages 8-18. This is an opportunity for students to hone their performance skills 和 build relationships with one another. To date, Spero has produced 5 shows, with a sixth, Bye Bye, Birdie, scheduled to open in November of 2024. Earlier this year, HIU officially invited Spero to begin producing the annual HIU Spring Musical as well, which Williams has directed since 2007.

The mission of Spero is to build community, foster character development, 和 encourage creative potential for youth in our community by providing an experience in theater education 和 performance in a positive environment. The word “spero” is Latin for “hope,” 和 the Spero co-founders, along with the HIU administration, firmly believe in the power of the arts to produce beauty, 信心, 和 joy through creative expression. The University 和 Spero look forward to a continued partnership that will help bring hope to the 富勒顿 community 和 beyond.

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