The Reed Whipple offers many things more than a practice area. For us, it offers stands, chairs, percussion instruments, as well as room for the library of music the Youth Orchestra owns. The Rainbow Company uses the center for rehearsal, but also for storage of many things like costumes. As I said before, we don’t want to go down without a fight.

So, we showed up to multiple town hall meetings. We were a large presence, and the community also voiced that they didn’t want the Reed Whipple to close. There was immense support all around. It got pretty heated with the numerous questions, to a point where the Mayor asked we change the topic. Afterwards, I even got to speak with Mayor Goodman. Mayor Goodman was trying his best, a big supporter of the arts, but the cuts had to be made somewhere, and he promised we wouldn’t lose our programs.

This is where I personally got involved. I e-mailed every Las Vegas councilman/councilwomen, telling them how much we needed the center and asking them to keep it open. I even e-mailed local entertainers, like Wayne Newton and Clint Holmes, asking for their support. I also showed up at one of the town hall meetings.

It was such a neat experience, voicing my opinion, sharing my feelings. There was also the feeling of being part of a team, being able to work towards our one equal goal. In the end, the Reed Whipple was voted to stay open on a limited basis. We are still unsure if that completely includes LVYO using the facility, but we are still working on that. I encourage anyone, old or young, to become active in local politics. It feels quite amazing!

If you have any questions or comments, e-mail me at bcmakidsview@gmail.com.