RoxArts 1950s-themed fundraiser is May 13

This year’s annual ROXARTS community fundraiser, which raises funds for arts enrichment in CH-UH schools, will be held on Saturday evening, May 13, at the B-Side Barcade and Lounge in Cleveland Heights. Park your machine outside, do up your nest, and come have a blast at ROX Rocks Around the Clock, a 1950s’ music-themed auction and benefit.

The evening will begin with a VIP party for cool cats, 6–7 p.m., featuring a signature cocktail, hors d’oeuvres, and an early chance to view auction items. The benefit and live auction will follow, 7–10 p.m. Guests can expect food from local vendors, unlimited fine wine and craft beers, and—to cap off the night—the opportunity to bid on auction items that include rare-opportunity packages.

Attendees are urged to wear 1950s threads, and to plan on having “a crazy good time.” Pre-sale VIP tickets are $75 per person, or $40 per person for the benefit and auction only, and are available online at www.roxarts.org. Rosemary Piece and Kathy Blackman are co-chairs of this fundraiser.

ROXARTS, a not-for-profit 501(c)3, dates back to 1981, when a group of Roxboro Elementary School parents committed to raise funds for children’s arts enrichment. Today, the nonprofit is a network of parents, teachers and volunteers who provide educational programs and experiences in the performing and visual arts at Roxboro Elementary School and Roxboro Middle School.

The ROXARTS board was thrilled to add a matching budget for Monticello Middle School in 2016, effectively providing arts enrichment to every middle school student in the CH-UH City School District. ROXARTS also makes an annual donation to Reaching Heights.

ROXARTS works with teachers and school leadership to provide meaningful and engaging experiences that reflect the community’s diverse population and commitment to the arts. Elementary school students, for example, recently enjoyed a Women in History program, a performance by the Djapo Cultural Arts Institute drum troupe, and “The Jabberwocky,” performed by Great Lakes Theater. Roxboro Middle School students met Sudanese author Akol Madut, who spoke about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Monticello Middle School students visited Playhouse Square to see Bill Blagg’s “The Science of Magic,” and hosted Cleveland native Humble G the Fiddla for a whole-school assembly and residency.