130 children attended the UniverSoul Circus performance in Atlanta. On Saturday, February 20, more than 130 children, along with parents, A-STAR staff, and volunteers, traveled to the UniverSoul Circus in Atlanta.

Sponsored by the Wilkes County Community Partnership’s A-STAR Program, the trip brought participants to the single-ring circus with some 75 primarily African-American performers and 12 acts, using classic R&B, hip-hop, gospel, salsa, and jazz as a musical backdrop.

The circus is headquartered in Atlanta. The 2010 season marks the 17th anniversary of the UniverSoul Circus, and the cast now features performers from 11 different countries around the world.

“The elephants, white tigers, poodles, and acrobats were exceptionally impressive to our children,” said Amethyst Wynn. “They thoroughly enjoyed bouncing the big balls, and chanting ‘circus’ after the ringmaster shouted ‘Big Top.’ However, the highlight of the show was when one of our young ladies was chosen from among hundreds of children to star in the UniverSoul Circus Dance Contest. The children were ecstatic, to say the least.”

The field trip was an incentive/ reward trip for students of the AAbout STAR Program at the five Wilkes County community sites: Baltimore, Harper Street, Reese Booker, Tignall, and Washington Heights. The A-STAR (After-School Tutorial And Recreation) Program incorporates substance abuse prevention, character-building, leadership, and abstinence education, along with the homework assistance and tutoring. A-STAR is funded by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, through its Division of Addictive Diseases and the Substance Abuse Prevention Program, along with inkind donations and subsidies from Wilkes County, the City of Washington, local churches, ministers, and community organizations.

“Wilkes County Community Partnership wishes to thank all of its friends and partners for their continued support,” Wynn said. Anyone interested in sharing or volunteering in the A-STAR Program, contact Horace Jordan, A-STAR Director, at 706-678-4981.