Alliance for the Arts — Attraction in Fort Myers

The Alliance for the Arts has quickly dropped from five stars to one after my son attended two days of camp. The instructors were unkind and inconsiderate. The director tried to intimidate my child.

On the first day the theater teacher had the campers audition for the end of the week play. My son auditioned for a small role because he has terrible stage fright and ended up in the staring role. When he explained that he had terrible stage fright and didn't want the lead the instructor told him he had to be in the play and he had to be in the assigned role. He came home panicked and in tears.

I called the camp director and they agreed to put him in a small role or let him not be in the play at all (as per camp policy). She then told us to find her the next morning, so we did. When we got there she firmly told my son he was not allowed to cry about camp or complain about it at home. She told him not to tell me (his mother) about bad things at camp. She told him that camp was supposed to be fun and he was only to share good things. Then she turned to me and told me that she was not in the theater class and that she had not spoken to the instructor yet. She also informed me that the instructor was new and she didn't know her that well. She then told me that she knew children and that my son was not telling me what really happened. When I informed her that I was a licensed educator she was slightly less condescending.

Later that day a visual arts teacher told my son his art was wrong and took it apart and reconstructed it her way. He was obviously upset.

When I picked him up from camp he was obviously upset, and the camp director reminded him he had a great day. At first he wouldn't tell me what was wrong because he "wasn't allowed to." When he told me he said he hated camp. He told me he didn't want to go back. The projects were not fun, he wasn't learning anything, and the instructors were criticizing his artwork.

I called a director at the Alliance and explained the situation. I explained that he had more fun at school than he did at camp. I had to find alternative child care for the week because my son was afraid to go back to camp. I was out $160 because of this. She refused to refund camp. My son wasn't sick. He didn't just change his mind. The instructors and director were rude, mean, inconsiderate, and made him feel unsafe at camp.

We went back to collect his unfinished artwork, but it was disposed of. The director said they were told he wasn't coming back and he didn't do any projects anyways. They acted petty and lied because a parent complained. Do not send your children to this camp.

I am no longer a member. I will not be back. My son has lost interest in learning more about art. It is ironic that a place called The Alliance for the Arts stifles creativity and tries to...

I don’t usually write negative reviews, but I feel other parents should know about our recent experience at Alliance for the Arts’ summer camp. My five-year-old daughter loved the camp last year and was excited to return, but after just two days this year, I had to withdraw her due to serious concerns about sanitation and emotional safety.

On the first day, staff made no effort to welcome or comfort her, even after I mentioned she was shy. She later said teachers were tired and didn’t engage with the kids. She didn’t use the restroom because she was afraid to ask and had an accident in the car— something that hadn’t happened in years. I wasn’t informed about her distress until pickup.

On the second day, I saw the bathroom was in terrible condition: it smelled strongly of urine and was littered with paper towels and toilet paper. My daughter said, “Mommy, it’s gross.” At pickup, she was crying at a table while staff nearby ignored her. When I asked what happened, a staff member defensively said she just started crying and was fine earlier. This lack of empathy was troubling.

My daughter also explained she didn’t ask to use the bathroom because they weren’t allowed if another child was inside. I learned there was a second bathroom in a separate room that neither of us knew about— the a major communication failure for young children.

Even more concerning, I saw a sick child crying alone in the bathroom unattended.

I emailed the Education Director, who led the camp last year when we had a positive experience. I hoped she would address these concerns and invite my daughter back, but instead I was met with policy and excuses. I received a refund for two days as a “gesture of goodwill” but was charged for the rest of the week and simply told they wished my child the best in her future experiences.

At this age, emotional support is as important as safety. Five-year-olds need adults who are emotionally present and responsive. Unfortunately, my daughter’s experience was neither safe nor supportive.

Alliance for the Arts is a nonprofit partially funded by local taxpayers, including families like mine. I have supported their events for years but was deeply disappointed by how this situation was handled. I hope they take this feedback seriously and improve their care and communication...

Think twice before donating to this organization. I was a supporter of this organization, and obviously wont be any longer.

I'm a board member for a non-profit organization that does a regular Christmas gift giving program for single mothers and their children. I knew one of the board members there and she offered to be a drop-off location.

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask again this year and the location was left on the paper. Two people drove from Naples to drop off a handful of gifts to be delivered to families the next day and they were turned away. Furthermore, I was told they were being extremely rude to the people.

I called over to apologize for the confusion, and the receptionist was rude to me, and refused to accept the gifts even for 30 minutes while I drove over there.

Out of all the heartless and cruel acts in this world, refusing to hold Christmas gifts for children for 30 minutes has got to be one of the cruelest things I have ever been witness to.

The types of 501c3 organizations that become overly concerned about making money that they don't pay taxes on should have their tax status revoked for...