Henderson teen performs to raise funds for Family Promise
Haleyann Hart is using her talents as a singer, actress and dancer to raise money for Family Promise, which helps families dealing with homelessness.
Hart, who has been performing in fundraisers to benefit the organization since 2006, organizes shows at local churches.
The Hart family moved to Henderson seven years ago for Marcia Cope-Hart, Hart’s mother, to work at “Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular” at the Venetian.
Like her mother, Hart, 15, caught the performance bug. The family enrolled Hart into the Fern Adair Conservatory of the Arts for dance lessons when she was 9.
“I just fell in love with dancing,” she said. “Contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip-hop. I do it all except ballroom.”
Wanting to take it to the next level, she joined a competitive dance team at the conservatory. The experience gave her a look at what her life could be like if she continued as an entertainer.
“The first time I saw her dancing I thought, ‘Wow, she really is good,’ ” Cope-Hart said.
Cope-Hart was nervous about her daughter entering the show business world because she knew firsthand that there were challenges as an entertainer. Despite nervousness, she knew she wanted to encourage her daughter to follow her heart.
Hart continued dancing, her first true love, but added singing and acting lessons.
Since her mother was a trained opera singer, Hart was able to be coached by her.
While Cope-Hart was working at “Phantom,” the cast members decided to raise money for Family Promise, which assists families with emergency shelter or assistance or a program to get them into permanent housing.
The ensemble created a show in 2006 as a fundraising tool.
“It was called ‘God Lives in Glass,’ ” Cope-Hart said.
The play looked at the different faiths of children from various cultures and ethnicities.
Cope-Hart thought her daughter would be a good addition to the show.
As Hart grew with the show, so did her opportunity to perform. She began to transition from the children’s part of the show into singing with the adults.
At that point, Hart was bitten by the show business bug. But she was also inspired about the ability to use her talents to help make a difference.
“I think it is good for people her age to have an opportunity like this,” Cope-Hart said.
But “Phantom” closed in 2012.
Many of the cast members moved out of state to take on new roles.
Cope-Hart had grown attached to working with Family Promise and was sad to let it go.
“Over the course of six years, we had raised a lot,” Cope-Hart said. “Plus, it just felt good giving back.”
Even though many people were gone, the Harts decided to carry on.
Cope-Hart and her daughter worked to put on smaller fundraisers before coming up with an idea to create their own performance to raise money.
Hart is the main performer in the show, singing and dancing in about 10 of the 15 pieces.
She is joined by her mother for some songs, and other former cast members also have contributed.
The first show was in April at Mountain View Presbyterian Church. They raised more than $700.
In June, Hart returned to perform at Green Valley Presbyterian Church and raised $1,561.
“We realized when we were doing this we might not get a lot of people to show up,” Hart said. “But we were still willing to try.”
Cope-Hart said it’s also about raising awareness about Family Promise and what it does.
She added that setting up the show at churches has allowed them to market to the congregation.
They are open to taking the show to other venues. They are working out details to perform in the fall at Community Lutheran Church.
Hart knows her long-term goal as a performer is to make it to Broadway. But before she sees her name in bright lights, she hopes to continue using her talents to raise money for Family Promise.
“I want to continue doing this for as long as I can,” she said.
For more information on Family Promise and to watch for upcoming performances, visit familypromiselv.com or call 702-638-8806.
Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.
