ArtsBridge Foundation gives Georgia students a stage to shine

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - At Atlanta News First, our First Alert Weather Team’s Three Degree Guarantee isn’t just about accuracy — it’s about impact.

Every time our meteorologists get the forecast within three degrees, a local nonprofit receives a donation. This month’s recipient is the ArtsBridge Foundation, an organization helping young people across Georgia discover the magic of live theater.

One of those young people is Hayden Poe, a recent Dalton High School graduate who feels most at home under the stage lights. His standout performance of “Road to Hell” from the musical “Hadestown” at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre helped him earn a spot in a special program for young performers in New York City.

“It was so beautiful to have that experience on a Broadway stage,” he said.

That journey wouldn’t have been possible without the ArtsBridge Foundation. Led by Jessica Guthrie, the nonprofit connects thousands of students from across 70 Georgia counties with the world of theater, offering free field trips, student matinees and even high school theater competitions.

“We’re trying to create art patrons,” Guthrie said. “You can see how [Poe] challenged himself. He’s grown as a performer, and you can see just in his heart that this is something he loves.”

In many schools, arts programs are often the first to be cut when budgets tighten. That’s why Poe now shares his story, to help raise awareness for the role the ArtsBridge Foundation plays.

“For those kids that don’t have as much, seeing just a glimpse of what is so beautiful on stage can completely change somebody’s life,” he said. “[It] can make them a better person, could change their dreams and even motivate them to do something even bigger and better than what might be on Broadway.”

Poe heads back to New York City this fall to study musical theater at Pace University.

To learn more about how you can support the ArtsBridge Foundation and help bring theater to more students like Poe, visit the organization’s website.