Ralla Klepak was a lifelong champion of individuals with disabilities or disadvantages. Moreover, she believed in the Performing Arts' power to enhance all people's lives. Thanks to a generous grant from the Ralla Klepak Trust for Education in the Performing Arts, Sarah Hartman Women's College has created the Ralla Klepak Performing Arts Leadership (PAL) Initiative to provide training and programming in the use of the Performing Arts to address communal, social, and educational needs in our community.

 

Through the PAL Initiative, Sarah Hartman Women's College has infused courses in Education and other disciplines to address the benefits of incorporating the Performing Arts into learning curricula, various therapies, and other specialties. Sarah Hartman Women's College has also opened Sunday programs to offer participation in Performing Arts to children and young adults who may not have had these experiences previously. The Sunday Immersion Program allows participants to engage in all aspects of the performing arts in an all-inclusive setting. The program culminates in a spring showcase at the end of the school year.

 

The programs are administered by Dr. Malkie Eisenberg, Dr. Shira Roth, and Professor Bari Fleischer. Exceptional Sarah Hartman students, the “Ralla Scholars,” culled from the fields of Art, Elementary and Special Education, Health Sciences (nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.), Psychology, and Speech and Communication Disorders, direct the various activities. Through the PAL Initiative, the Scholars receive integrated training in their chosen fields and gain experience and leadership skills in using the Performing Arts to enhance the lives of those they serve.