I was given permission to share this letter I received from a parent a couple of years back. I share this letter with you not to bring any recognition to myself, but to share with you the impact the arts can have on a person’s life. This is Mylan’s story. 

On Mon, Oct 30, 2017, 1:06 PM Charlotte, Mylan’s mon wrote:

Hey, Connie, this is Charlotte. I originally wrote this on Sept 15, while going through my contacts I realized I had sent it to the wrong address. So now I am resending this, hopefully to the correct address, over a month later.

I just want to take a moment to say thank you. I think that inspiring others is a wonderful gift & you have really gifted my children in that way. As you know, my girls (Jada & Sage) instantly took to the arts center when we moved to Moultrie last year, after losing our home in a tornado. 

What you don’t realize is that one evening last spring, while we were at one of the girl’s theatre rehearsals… You walked past me & my son Mylan & you stopped & spoke to him. He did not speak back, he was diagnosed with selective mutism years ago. He doesn’t speak to anyone outside of our immediate family, not even to his grandparents. But that did not stop you from greeting him & inviting him to join the theater. It did not matter that he didn’t speak back to you, you didn’t mind or draw attention to it, you just spoke to him anyways & told him he should join the theatre, that he would like it & have fun. I thought it was sweet of you, but I didn’t think any more about it. 

Over this past summer, we noticed that he really came out of his shell a lot. He began reading out loud, humming songs, he even played drums with the family band & performed at a festival.

Well, last week while I was getting the girls ready to go to the Lion King auditions, he says “mom, what should I wear to MY audition?” I was speechless! I looked at him with confusion & curiosity. He said, “Miss Connie told me that I really should be in a play.” He continued to tell me everything you had said & how he has been waiting for the next play to come so he could give it a try.

I was floored, I could not believe he had spent all summer with this on his mind. You had inspired him with a simple greeting & genuine invitation. I still am in total disbelief! We went to auditions, he got up on stage, he read the script aloud, he sang the birthday song & I cried big tears of joy. Thank you for being so kind to all the children! Especially to my little man! He is looking forward to having practice & being in the show. Your encouragement & genuine heart are priceless. Thank you 

P.S. – since this is over a month old let me update by saying I am daily amazed at how much Mylan is enjoying the theatre. He loves Mimi, James & Lenny, he practices at home & looks forward to every practice. He is even auditioning for the Christmas play. Thank you to everyone at the Arts Center – you are all so kind & heartful.

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Since that first adventure on the stage Mylan has appeared in several productions and even had a solo lead in the Arts Center’s production of The Music Man. He continues to be involved in the arts and it is amazing to see the transformation from that day to now. 

The arts can and do impact the lives of many. Here is your invitation to come and join a production, learn to dance, paint, sing, play an instrument and create. Scholarships are available. We hope to see you at the Arts Center real soon.