SAN MARCOS — TERI Campus of Life, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower individuals with special needs and change the way the world views them, received a $100,000 grant for its new performing arts center.
The grant comes from the David C. Copley Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds nonprofits making a difference in the areas of human services, military and military veterans, youth development, medical and medical research, education, arts and culture and animal welfare in the San Diego area.
With 43 years of serving the special needs community, TERI designs its programs to help each child, adult, senior and caretaker discover their own potential as a valued member of the community and how to maximize their quality of life.
The grant will be used to furnish the theater, studios and classrooms with state-of-the-art-technology in the campus’s new Walter J. & Betty C. Zable Foundation Performing Arts & Fine Arts Center. Construction crews broke ground on the new center last November and are expected to finish by December.
“These are exciting times for growth at TERI, and there is still much to accomplish,” said TERI Chief Development Officer Dan DeSaegher.
Plans for the 22,000-square foot center include a 200-seat theater, drama and music classrooms, multisensory rooms, art studios, outdoor performance and recreation space.
“We send a special TERI thank you from all in the special needs community to the Copley Foundation, Kim Koch and Dean Dwyer for their personal care and understanding of this critical need in the San Diego community,” DeSaegher said. Their generosity helps us touch hundreds of lives with the power of the arts as we expand the TERI Campus of Life, a transformational and inclusive resource available to all.”
According to TERI, the grant helps to enhance the lives kids, adults and seniors with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities by expanding access to the adaptive arts and enrichment programs available on campus.
Since 2009, the TERI Theater Program has provided performers of all ability ways to express themselves in a safe and encouraging environment as they build community and a sense of belonging with others. TERI Players work as a team, creating original live performances at TERI’s current facilities in Oceanside.
“Visions that celebrate the value of every individual in our society become reality when San Diego’s influencers build bridges and open new opportunities for all,” said Cheryl Kilmer, TERI founder and CEO. “This TERI Campus of Life is committed to being a national beacon of community and inclusion.”
