Page 18 - 07_October 2024

PUBLISHER’S NOTE.
ART FOR LIFE
I was the little kid from the broken home. I grew up
with a single mom in a time when divorce was less common. My mom relied on social assistance. We called it “welfare” back then.
Fortunately for me, there were people in my life who wanted to give me experiences — probably to help me get over debilitating shyness. When I was four or five years old, someone paid for me to attend ballet classes. As the moms lined up outside the door to wait for us, my mother made friends with the mother of one of my classmates and a friendship ensued. I was included
in that family’s outings. I tagged along to the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver. My friend’s mom had a crush on Harry Belafonte and I attended one of his concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Later on in my childhood I was able to attend theatre and dance performances. As a teenager I hung out at performing arts festivals. I was only 15 years old when I volunteered to be an assistant stage manager at the Chautauqua Festival in Chilliwack, B.C.
The arts inspire me. As a child I learned there was more to life than what I witnessed in my own home.
My life is enriched by the arts. I was the underprivileged kid who was able to rise up because I was exposed to places where creativity was celebrated, where gifts and talents flourished, and where I glimpsed a world of beauty and inspiration.
Now, as a publisher and business owner, you can still find me supporting and volunteering in the arts community. Mostly performing arts, but I also love visual art.
Although, one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that sometimes prospective donors or sponsors don’t seem aware of all the ways the arts enrich our community. It’s a significant economic driver and a way to attract and retain talent in our city. Perhaps, most importantly, the arts can change lives.
This is the arts issue. Buy a ticket, swipe to donate, look at your marketing budget and add in an arts sponsorship. Next year, buy an ad in the arts issue so we can tell more arts stories. You could be changing the life of a tiny, fiercely shy girl to become a not-so-tall but fiercely independent publisher.
My life could have been very different.
Trudy Callaghan
Publisher
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We can make it together.
18 EDify. OCTOBER.24