Advisory Board:
Liz Burns - President
Sue Starr - Vice President
Bill Bourke- Technical Sound Director
Liaison:
Monica Vermeulen
Founders:
Ashley Lauren Vermeulen
Kate Napoli
Our Story......
Life is very precious to me and my future is a gift. I was diagnosed with cancer in 1991 and lost one of my kidneys to the disease. I went through several horrible years of extensive chemotherapy and radiation. I have been blessed with a second chance and because of this life-changing experience; I want to do all that I can to help children going through the same ordeal. My love for dance began at the age of two. When I was finally on the other side of this horrible experience, my mother wasted no time in getting me the dance training that I had always wanted.I was one of the many children who are faced with a life-threatening disease. My heart aches
for these children and their families so I made up my mind that I would use my dancing and theatre abilities to give back something of myself in order to help those in need.Let me tell you about Kate – when I lost my kidney to cancer, she told me that, if needed, she would give me one of hers.
Would I love to find a cure for cancer? Absolutely! But for now I will use what I have to help. The reward is to see the smiles on the faces of the children who, for a short time, can forget about their illness and just be kids. Kate says that she wants to help children who can’t help themselves. She believes these productions are espe¬cially important because it is kids helping other kids. The mission of this group is to use dance and theatrical performance to raise money to help these children through The Ashley Lauren Foundation.
The Ashley Lautren Foundation Theatre Ensemble (formerly Kidz-4-Kidz) was founded in 2005. The organization has grown tremendously since its inception to well over 100 members. The Ensemble produces a fully-mounted musical every year along with other activities throughout the year. It is an amazing opportunity to showcase your artistic talents as well as helping a child that suffers from cancer, as I did. I encourage everyone to become part of this dynamic group – you will have a great time!!
Ashley
Ashley Lauren Mills
Kate Napoli
