|
click on photo to enlarge
NEWS RELEASE
VETERAN PERFORMS AT 2007 NATIONAL VETERANS CREATIVE ARTS FESTIVAL
St. Louis , Mo. – April Goodwin, an Army
veteran from Clinton, Md., is in St. Louis , Mo., this week to take the stage and demonstrate her award-winning musical talent at the 2007 National Veterans Creative Arts
Festival.
The Festival culminates a year-long fine arts talent competition in art, music, drama, dance and creative writing. The program is open to all veterans who receive care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities. The talented veterans invited to the Festival are all first, second or third place winners, selected this year from more than 2,800 entries in more than 150 different categories.
Goodwin, 47, is one of more than 110 U.S. military veterans from across the nation attending the Festival for a week of workshops and rehearsals beginning on October 22, with an art exhibit and a gala variety stage show taking place on Sunday, October 28 at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, Touhill Performing Arts Center. There the music, drama, dance and creative writing winners will take part in an inspiring stage show backed by a professional orchestra. The artists will exhibit their first-place artwork in the lobby of the Touhill Performing Arts Center immediately prior to the stage show.
Goodwin won first place in the national creative writing competition in the short story (patriotic) category; and first place in the national dance competition in the liturgical dance (wheelchair) category. Goodwin also won high honors in the national creative writing competition in the essay (inspirational) category, and two categories of the national dance competition: the liturgical dance and patriotic dance categories; and the national drama competition in the group comedy categories. Goodwin will participate as part of the chorus in several all-cast production numbers in this year's stage show. Her work was entered by a therapist at the VA medical facility in Washington, D. C. where she receives care.
"Being picked as a national winner makes me feel as if God has smiled on me and I do not take participating in the Festival for granted," said Goodwin. "All of my entries this year were geared toward making others feel happy and letting them know that they can do more than they ever thought possible. It is good to know that despite my disability, I don't go unnoticed. I might be moving slow, but at least I'm moving!" (See participant profile on this veteran on the Festival Web site, news media page.)
The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival is presented by VA, Help Hospitalized Veterans and the American Legion Auxiliary. It is being hosted this year by the St. Louis VA Medical Center.
###
Note to Editor: Background information is available on the Festival's Web site: www.creativeartsfestival.org.
If you want to interview Goodwin, she can be reached at (301) 877-0604
after October 30.
|
