The annual Seeing Stars! Benefit is a favorite event among supporters of Flint School of Performing Arts (FSPA), and all funds raised go directly to the Seeing Stars! Tuition Assistance fund to offset the cost of music, dance and theatre instruction. The evening, complete with a strolling banquet of donated food samples from area vendors and an inspiring student showcase, is a tradition that has long embodied the new mission and vision FIM has adopted for the future.  

Patti Higgins, co-chair of the Seeing Stars! committee that organizes the yearly event, says “These kids studying arts grow into adults who love the arts. But how will they grow to appreciate them if they don’t start?” Higgins has been part of the committee for nearly a decade and continues to participate because “Flint School of Performing Arts can really be a shining light for so many kids and families.”  

Higgins has also served on the FIM board of trustees and its governance committee for the past four years and was instrumental in the development of the organization’s new strategic framework. Her time invested in Seeing Stars! and FSPA since 2015 helped guide her contribution to the process.  

“We really kept looking at families and building community, and how we can reach our whole Genesee County constituency. Those were the things that kept steering me in a certain way,” she says of the planning experience. 

Part of building strong communities is creating a space where everyone feels welcome, she says. “The program Davin [Torre] has put together at FSPA is so inclusive. She invites everyone and she is wonderful to work with.”  

But the students aren’t the only ones who reap the benefits of the welcoming nature of FSPA.  

“I will volunteer as long as I’m able,” Higgins insists. “I have met so many people that way – families at FSPA, staff at FIM. I love welcoming new families and watching the program get bigger and better. It just touches my heart. 

“And when you enjoy doing something so much, when you have fun doing it – you are happy to give in other ways.” Higgins adds that her work on the committee has moved her to donate not just her time, but her treasure, to the organization she has grown to love. Most importantly, she offers her respect to the young performers she supports.  

“The showcase at the benefit is such a good way to see our community’s youth perform and give them the value they deserve as young musicians and performers,” says Higgins, who was a dancer in her youth and understands firsthand the importance of audience support. “I want to value and respect even the four-, five-, six-year-olds just coming into their art, and give them the self-esteem they need as young performers.” 

Attending the Benefit and showcase doesn’t just support FSPA, Higgins says. “It touches every realm of the community we live in. The scholarship fund makes sure all kids and families can get involved in music, dance and theatre.”  

And that’s a mission she’s very willing to uphold.