Sunset Stories
Kit Franke: Twenty Years of Bringing the Arts to Life at Sunset Center
For two decades, Kit Franke has been part of the heart of Sunset Center, dedicating her time as a volunteer to helping bring arts, culture and education to the Monterey County community.
While Kit has enjoyed countless performances and built lasting relationships with Sunset's professional staff and fellow volunteers, one program holds a particularly special place in her heart: Classroom Connections.
Through this educational outreach program, Sunset Center welcomes schoolchildren from throughout Monterey County to experience live performing arts at no cost, several times each year.
For many of these students, it is their first visit to a theater and their first opportunity to experience a live performance.
Kit has had the privilege of witnessing those unforgettable moments firsthand.
She remembers children entering Sunset's historic theater and wondering whether they have stepped inside a Gothic church. She watches their curiosity come alive as they ask performers questions, discover new forms of artistic expression and experience the excitement of live theater.
For Kit, these moments represent the true magic of Sunset Center.
Beyond the performances themselves, Classroom Connections introduces young audiences to creativity, imagination and the possibility of a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
It is this opportunity to make a difference in children's lives that has inspired Kit to continue volunteering year after year.
As Sunset Center celebrates its centennial, Kit reflects with gratitude on the people, programs and experiences that have made her two decades of service so meaningful.
She hopes the children experiencing their first performances today will become the audiences, artists and supporters of tomorrow.
For Kit, being part of Sunset's history is about more than volunteering. It is about helping ensure that the joy of the performing arts continues to reach future generations.
Her story reminds us that Sunset Center's greatest impact is not measured only by the performances on its stage, but also by the inspiration it brings to the people who walk through its doors.