La Comedia Dinner Theatre’s stage became a classroom for children’s creativity and imagination when first graders from Demmitt Elementary School enjoyed an interactive performance of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, a box lunch and a meet-and-greet with the cast.
The educational and highly entertaining experience was made possible by grants from the Vandalia-Butler Foundation through its VISIONS fund and the Vandalia-Butler Optimist Club.
“This was intended to give the students an experience of a lifetime,” said teacher Katie Dwenger. “(As part of the theatrical outing) the teachers incorporated several academic standards from the writing and reading curriculum as well as social emotional expectations and manners in a public setting.”
La Comedia co-owner Sherry Gabert said the theatre’s “Lunch and Learn Children’s Theatre” program is a fun way to give children their first taste of Broadway. The theatre is celebrating its 50th anniversary of professional theatrical productions.
In addition to the $1,226 VISIONS grant for theatre tickets, Demmitt Elementary School receive $1,500 for a book vending machine to reward students for positive behavior and $300 for children’s books that illustrate differences, inclusion and acceptance.
In all, the Vandalia-Butler Foundation awarded a record-breaking $31,314 in educational grants in 2025 for innovative classroom initiatives in the Vandalia-Butler City Schools.
For those wishing to make a contribution to the VISIONS Fund, tax-deductible donations can be mailed to VISIONS Fund, c/o The Dayton Foundation, 1401 S. Main St., Suite 100, Dayton, OH 45409-2600. To make an online donation, visit vandalia-butlerfoundation.org/visions.
The Vandalia-Butler Foundation is a component fund of The Dayton Foundation. Leadership for the Vandalia-Butler Foundation rests in our own community, while fiscal oversight of our funds is maintained by The Dayton Foundation, which serves the Dayton/Miami Valley area. This partnership allows for the Vandalia-Butler community to benefit from local leadership and profit from resources pooled with others for investment growth.
(Check presentation photo by Mary Stephens. Pictured left to right: Demmitt Elementary School principal Garry Martin, first grade teacher Katie Dwenger, Vandalia-Butler Foundation co-chair Denise Eder, Vandalia-Butler Optimist Club president Justin Spivey and Vandalia-Butler Foundation trustee Ronny Shumaker.)