Student's Success Earns $500 Donation For Naaman Forest Choir
Article Date: June 23, 2010
This spring, Brittany Thomas claimed top honors at the annual Searching for a Star Foundation talent competition and as part of her prize, the Naaman Forest student earned a $500 scholarship for her school’s choir program.
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Thomas, along with her mother Euphania, met with Searching for a Star founder and CEO Rob Hunter last week at Garland ISD administrative offices where they received the donation. The trio was joined by George Jones, GISD Director of Fine Arts, NFHS choir teacher Rob Draper and Garland Mayor Ron Jones.
“Brittany is our shining star,” Hunter said. “From the start I could tell that she was a contender. She had a distinctly warm voice, wonderful personality, a smile that could light up a room – and beside all that she had talent!”
An eight-week stage course preceded this year’s competition which leveled the playing field and made the contest more intense. After navigating her way into the final round, Thomas clinched the first palce with her rendition of Celine Dion’s “I’m Alive.” That earned her $1,100 in cash and awards.
But Hunter’s philanthropy did not stop with the contest. He wanted to reward Thomas’s campus as well.
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“Music is a wonderful outlet for these students to become involved with,” he said. “When kids are away from school we want to keep them interested and engaged in positive activities that will help them develop as people. Fine Arts programs at schools do so much for students. They help them find new ways of expression and productive things to focus on when they are away from the classroom. We want to work with schools however we can to help them continue reaching out to kids and this is one way we can give back.”
In addition to the check, Thomas and Hunter presented attendees with official Searching for a Star Foundation medals and lapel pins.