The Santa Barbara Teen News Network announced Tuesday that thanks to the support of community members, it has met a critical Dec. 31 fundraising deadline that will enable the program to maintain its public nonprofit status.
The network provides opportunities for local high school students to learn professional technical skills and the self-esteem, teamwork and leadership skills needed to become successful adults.
As 2011 came to a close, sbTNN asked for local support from individuals or businesses to fill a small but crucial funding gap. At the end of 2011, the Patricia Henley Foundation, which provides the program free to the Santa Barbara community, was just $6,000 away from the public funding needed by Dec. 31 to maintain its public nonprofit status, which would keep sbTNN eligible for the future grants and fundraising that will make the program sustainable.
“The sbTNN program means a lot to our family,” said the mother of a teen in the sbTNN program. “When I heard the news that the program would be able to continue for another year, I had tears of joy in my eyes.”
Thanks to generous community supporters, sbTNN was able to meet its goal and keep its nonprofit status by raising more than $6,000. More than 25 individual donors were able to make this a reality. The Armand Hammer Foundation also contributed a generous amount to ensure teens in the community can continue to benefit from involvement in sbTNN.
“We are deeply appreciative of this support, especially knowing that so many people had already planned their year-end giving, so that we can continue to provide valuable education and experience to our students as we help prepare them for successful lives,” said Trixie Geyer, associate director of the Patricia Henley Foundation. “We hope this wonderful community response will also inspire other teens and community members to find out more about the unique opportunities sbTNN is offering to our local youth.”
In 2009, the Patricia Henley Foundation launched its now primary program sbTNN to engage local teens to work together, express themselves creatively and build professional experience in all facets of media production. Through the free sbTNN program, teens learn to find and express their “voice,” which was the vision of founder Patricia Henley, in creating the foundation.
sbTNN is an exciting, fast-paced, 30-minute weekly show produced for and by local teens, creating an upbeat TV show reflecting current events, teen lifestyles, creative expression and the voice of teens. It is created by Peter McCorkle and directed by Doug Caines.
sbTNN is for all youths interested in creative arts. Students in the program learn basic cinematography, familiarizing themselves with editing software, cameras and sound engineering, along with stage performance and interviewing techniques. Each segment features different students and stories from the Santa Barbara community and area schools.
sbTNN is made possible thanks to community supporters, including support from the Santa Barbara Channels. The student reporters rehearse and tape live on Saturdays in the Santa Barbara Channels’ Channel 17 and Channel 21 studios, with airings throughout the week on Channel 21, on Noozhawk.com and at sbTNN.com. Call 805.568.3600 x114 for more information.
— Kelly Kapaun is a publicist representing the Santa Barbara Teen News Network.
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