Genesis Gives $10,000 to Transform Kids’ Lives Through Theater
A heartfelt check presentation in Long Beach celebrated the life-changing impact of the performing arts on young people. Genesis Inspiration Foundation handed a $10,000 grant to Act Out Theater Company while students performed showing not just their talent, but remarkable self-assurance.
The moment went far beyond a simple donation. It represented a shared commitment to helping kids overcome challenges, express themselves, and discover their potential through creative outlets. We spoke to John Guastaferro, Executive Director of Genesis Inspiration Foundation, and Travis Wade, Founder and Executive Director of Act Out Theater Company, about the impact of this support and the deeper mission driving both organizations.
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Funding Transformative Youth Arts Programs
The Genesis Inspiration Foundation was established in 2018 to complement the brand’s existing efforts in STEAM education and sports by adding a dedicated focus on the arts. It now supports a wide range of youth arts initiatives from coast to coast.
“At Genesis Inspiration Foundation we focus on the transformative power of the arts,” said Guastaferro. “We fund youth programs across the nation focused on the arts, and we are here at Act Out Long Beach as one of our 91 grantees this year.”
“The arts instill in them skills to help them overcome challenges and also pursue new opportunities far beyond school.” – John Guastaferro
The foundation looks for programs that deliver lasting impact. “This is specifically focused on performing arts today and that is one of many art forms that we support,” said Guastaferro. “I think you saw it from the performance. It was entertaining but we also saw these kids emit confidence and presence.”
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Building Confidence and Community Across Generations
Act Out Theater Company operates as one part community theater and one part youth mentoring. It brings middle school and high school students together with adults of all ages in a shared creative space.
“Act Out Theater Company is a performing arts organization. It is an arts education organization. It is a youth mentoring organization,” said Wade. “I would call it a hybrid between regular community theater and youth theater.” It’s an opportunity for kids to explore their creative skills, and to truly be seen, which helps build confidence.
“We want to know every kid’s story here. Because we just believe that kids want to be known.” – Travis Wade
The program stands out because participants range widely in age. “One of the really cool things about us that you do not really find anywhere else is we have got middle school kids and high school kids all working alongside 20-somethings and 30-somethings and 40-somethings and 50-somethings all doing theater,” said Wade. “Our focus is the youth but what we want to do is see the youth grow up with us.”
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Personal Passion Fuels the Mission
Guastaferro brings more than two decades of philanthropy experience to his role at Genesis. He also maintains an active personal connection to the arts that deeply informs his work.
“I play Spanish and flamenco guitar and I’m a magician,” said Guastaferro. “I was an only child growing up with a single mom so I know what it’s like to have the arts in your life and I do not know where I would be if I did not have the arts in my life.”
Wade sees the $10,000 grant as far more than funding for costumes or sets. “Ten thousand dollars is great because yes, of course, we have to pay for costumes and sets and stuff like that but that’s not really the ultimate investment,” said Wade. “The real investment is the kid that you are putting into that costume.”
“What you are really buying I think is just like hope and a future for some of these kids.” – Travis Wade
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Embracing the Spotlight
The work remains deeply personal for Wade even after many years. “Even after all these years I still love to perform,” said Wade. “I had a kid come up to me a couple years ago and say, Mr. Travis, that is so awesome that you get up there on the stage and perform with us,” he said. “I think the kids love it when the adults and the older people give back to them.”
He also shared that he himself is naturally quiet and shy off stage. Yet the moment he steps in front of an audience something shifts. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with being quiet because I’m quiet,” said Wade. “I’m shy. I don’t like to be in a room full of people and try to just talk. But if you put me on a stage in front of a thousand people, no problem at all.”
That same transformation is what he hopes every child experiences through Act Out. “It’s okay to be quiet, but can I be quiet and confident? Can I be confident in who I am? Can I be confident in expressing myself and what I believe in or what I think?” said Wade.
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Funding the Future
The $10,000 grant comes at a time when the organization is working to provide consistent support for its diverse group of young participants. Many come from low to moderate income families, live in single parent homes, or come from neighborhoods facing challenges.
The goal for Act Out Theater Company is to build a stable home for its participants after years of moving between temporary venues. Space has always been one of its biggest challenges. “We struggle every single show finding a venue to perform in,” said Wade. “For a few years before that we were bouncing around. It was really hard to create a home where these kids felt safe and comfortable and excited to be.”
This partnership underscores a simple truth. When caring adults invest in young people’s creative growth the results reach well beyond their youth. Confidence grows, stories unfold, and futures brighten one performance at a time.
