The Willow Glen Resident SJCMT up for a $100K grant from the city of San Jose Funds will go to outreach efforts for groups with special needs By Cecily Barnes Every time the Willow Glen-based San Jose Children's Musical Theater puts on a show, one audience claps the loudest and smiles the widest. Those who attend the SJCMT through the company's Special Needs Audience Program (SNAP)--a free performance for people with little money or other needs--now have even more reason to smile, since the San Jose City Council approved a $100,000 grant to fund the program at its Oct. 6 meeting. "It's because our organization serves youth, benefiting them in creative ways," said Michael Mulcahy, SJCMT's executive director. "For our Special Needs Audience Program, we provide free shows to Eastfield Ming Quong [children's counseling center], the mayor's anti-gang task force, Agnews Developmental Center and other special-needs groups." Positive Grandparenting is one group that benefits from the SNAP program. According to director Faye Perry, if it weren't for the SJCMT, many of the seniors in her organization would never go out. "One couple I know who have four grandchildren, that's their only social life. They don't have the money to do anything more." Many grandparents in Perry's program are on fixed incomes, doing all they can to keep food on the table. The SNAP performances provide them with a dose of fun and entertainment. "We do eight shows each year, but for each one of our productions, we provide a free performance to these special-needs groups," Mulcahy said. The $100,000 grant will also help support the Student Matinees Program, which offers performances for students at a very low cost. "They're for school field trips," Mulcahy said. In this program, classes visit the theater during the day to learn about the performing arts as well as take in a show. Mulcahy said students enjoy the colorful costumes and the music. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, October 14, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.