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The Roots Were in Town To Stump for Improvements at CAPA

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Well, let it be known that The Roots haven't forgotten where they came from after hitting it big. Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter were recently in town to throw their support behind the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), their alma mater located at Broad and Christian St. The stately building used to house the Ridgway Library and the school has been seriously underfunded in recent years. We're talkin' cuts of $1.1M since 2012. Through the CAPA Foundation, the school will look to raise money to fund programs and even transform the entrance into an lively green space for the performing arts. Talk about Respond/React!

According to The Philadelphia Tribune, the school intends to revamp the lawn space that separates the school from Broad Street.

"The school plans to transform its main entrance and lawn area facing South Broad Street into a giant performing arts space more reflective of the students' creative talent. The upgrade is part of a major makeover planned for inside and outside of the creative arts school — which will be funded by a new organization supported by the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning band, The Roots."

The Community Design Collaborative awarded a planning grant to CAPA to "help them discover how [CAPA] can transform its open space into an asset that enhances CAPA's identity and connects it to the Avenue of the Arts, the surrounding neighborhood, and Philadelphia as a whole."

The lawn isn't the only bit of importance with the CAPA Foundation. The program also hopes to raise the money to provide books and classroom supplies and restore clubs and extracurricular activities.
· The Roots help fund CAPA project [The Philadelphia Tribune]
· CAPA high school receives planning grant to transform its front yard on Broad Street [Passyunk Post]

CAPA

901 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA