Ypsilanti High School drama teacher Michelle Peet was astonished when she checked her mailbox on Monday morning and discovered that award-winning actor Paul Newman has donated US$5,000 to a Michigan high school’s drama club as part of that club’s fund-raising effort.
Within the envelope delivered from Westport, Conn., to Ypsilanti High School, was a check signed by Newman that will help defray costs associated with the drama club’s upcoming trip to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland where club members are slated to perform a 90-minute show.
A brief note accompanied Newman’s check,
The enclosed contribution is sent with every good wish for continued success in your worthy endeavors.
The surprise was definitely exciting for drama teacher Michelle Peet, as the club was already seeking donations via a mass letter-writing campaign that included Newman and other celebrities. Since January, the club has raised $75,000 that will travel, housing at the University of Edinburgh and two daily meals. Now Newman’s donation will cut in half the club’s need to raise $10,000 for the show’s production costs and other expenses.
