I believe that my devotion to Kravis first began in 1997. We moved into the West Palm Beach area, and a friend of ours, who is now a Life Trustee, shared with us the history of how the Kravis Center came to be built. He spoke of all the tenuous work that Alex Dreyfoos had put into his dream for a superior performing arts center, and that nothing but the best returns have come back to reward him, his hard work and the community. In Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up, we have Severance Hall, and Alex's story reminds me very much of how the community here was approached to support the performing arts in Cleveland. Then I met Judy Mitchell, whom I immediately respected and was inspired by, and found her staff to be an extension of her professionalism and dedication. What a great team!
The Kravis Center has a stellar education program for area schools. Thanks to devoted Kravis supporting members, the students are able to come by school buses and see the shows, meet the performers, and enroll in diverse offerings of classes every summer. I was so impressed with the Center’s emphasis on the youth programs, that five years ago I was able to arrange to send four students from the Dreyfoos School for the Arts vocal, theater and dance departments to every Broadway Series show so that they could experience the magic too!
My involvement with the Kravis Center is grounded in my love for the wonderful staff, who are all such professionals, and who daily truly fulfill Alex's prophecy. In closing, I am extremely proud to remember the Kravis Center in my will, so that this exemplary institution will continue to serve the needs of this community for decades to come.
—Cindy Costello Mandes
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