KELLY WOODWARD: SPOTLIGHT ON AIRMID THEATRE COMPANY VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE

 (West Islip, N.Y.) There are volunteers, and then there are volunteers. Airmid Theatre Company, founded in 2000, is the only theatre in the world whose mission is to recover, collect, and produce classic works by women. The Company, (www.airmidtheatre.org), which is presenting a free summer theatre festival in Nissequogue River State Park in Kings Park, Long Island during July and August 2009, has had exceptionally good luck with one very special volunteer.

THIS VOLUNTEER IS “A DREAM COME TRUE”
When the term “right hand” is used, the name Kelly Woodward immediately comes to mind. Since this spring, Kelly, an East Islip resident, has been both the right and left hands of Airmid Theatre Company’s Founder and Artistic Director, Tricia McDermott. In her role as Festival Managing Director – an unpaid, volunteer position – Kelly handles procurement, scheduling, shares in the fundraising responsibilities, manages interns and recruits other volunteers – just to name a portion of her daily duties.

In the words of Tricia McDermott, “Kelly is a dream come true! She’s as rare a find as the plays we produce! She is devoted, energetic and business-minded, fun and smart, and we get along brilliantly – and her work is all volunteer right now. Without her I wouldn’t be able to focus on the artistic aspects of the festival; both the artistic and the business sides are vital to its success. My hope is to someday pay Kelly as full-time managing director for the company because we make a great team and she cares about the art and the growth of the overall company.”

DOWNSIDED CAREERIST MORPHS INTO INDISPENSABLE VOLUNTEER
President Obama’s public calls for service appear to have touched a chord among the American people. His participation in and promotion of the MLK National Day of Service helped to more than double the number of service projects undertaken — from 5,000 to 13,000 – compared to the year before. An even larger factor in the current surge of volunteers is the increasing numbers of people who now find themselves unemployed. And this is exactly how a match was made between Kelly Woodward and Airmid Theatre Company – between a downsized careerist and a worthy not-for-profit organization.

With a background in training and development consulting in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, Kelly was laid off a year ago and soon began exploring volunteer opportunities to enhance her life and fill the void left by her sudden job loss. While still employed, she became involved with Dress for Success Brookhaven, which provides interview appropriate attire to low income women actively seeking employment. Through an additional search on www.VolunteerMatch.com, Kelly found Airmid.

“I’d been looking for volunteer opportunities as a relatively new Long Islander,” states Kelly. “I moved here three years ago, settled in East Islip, and wanted to get involved in the community, after spending the past 20 years in the Philadelphia suburbs.” Kelly was hesitant at first, wondering if she could realistically fulfill the needs of a theatre company. She goes on, “Tricia assured me that my apprehension about fundraising would soon be dispelled. She tapped into the skills I already had through my professional life – facilitating programs, communications, strategic planning, management, customer service, and of course, training – and these all fit in with the needs of the Company. I soon became the managing director of our free summer theatre festival.” It’s no surprise that Kelly was attracted to this area of volunteerism. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Performance from Valley Forge Christian College, where her soprano voice could be heard singing opera in five languages.

A THEATRE FESTIVAL WITH A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE MISSION
Kelly is particularly pleased with the connection she has made between Airmid and Dress for Success. In keeping with the philanthropic spirit of Airmid’s Free Summer Theatre Festival, 13 of the 15 evening performances will “spotlight” a local not-for-profit that provides essential services for women, girls and their families on Long Island. “Spotlight” organizations will join the Theatre Company in Nissequogue River State Park to interact with the audiences and get the word out about their own vital work. Each Spotlight night is based on a theme, which will include domestic violence, health and wellness, hunger relief, children, service organizations, animals, and the environment, to name a few. Dress for Success Brookhaven will be in the “spotlight” on Sunday evening, July 26th, in no small part through Kelly’s networking of the two organizations. According to Kelly, “When one not-for-profit, in this case Airmid Theatre Company, supports other not-for-profits, a special kind of synergy emerges. Add to this the cultural value and free family entertainment we are bringing to Nissequogue River State Park, and the benefits for our Long Island neighbors are increased many times over.”

KELLY’S MISSION
Kelly’s personal mission this summer is to make the Airmid Free Summer Theatre Festival a rousing success. “We have a cast and crew of professional theatre people – actors, designers, directors, dramaturgs, stage managers, and theatre technicians – along with a host of interns and other volunteers, all focused on the Festival, which runs from July 22nd through August 14th. Although I carry the weighty title of Festival Managing Director, I am but one cog bringing Tricia’s long-standing vision to fruition.” Kelly’s unassuming assessment of her own value to Airmid is typical of her talented, warm and generous spirit – a volunteer who truly “gets it” when it comes to giving back to her adopted Long Island community.

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