LUMBERTON — Flying Angels Entertainment and Outreach will hold a fundraiser Sunday to help two Robeson County teenagers achieve their dreams.
The event, “Rise Up to New Heights,” will benefit Ashton Locklear, a gold medal-winning gymnast, and Faithe Cummings, an aspiring ballerina.
Locklear is vying for a spot on the U.S. gymnastics team in this year’s Olympic games, which will be held from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21 in Rio, Brazil. The 18-year-old was born in Lumberton but now lives in Hamlet.
She would be the first member of the Lumbee Tribe to participate in the games.
Cummings is a 13-year-old dancer from Pembroke. She was recently accepted to an intensive summer program at the Joffrey School of Ballet in New York.
Cummings, who is also a member of the Lumbee tribe, would be the first Lumbee to attend the school, which was founded in 1953 and has trained members of “major classical ballet companies in the United States and abroad,” according to its website.
The fundraiser, which will be held at the Southeastern Agriculture Events Center in Lumberton, will help the families of Locklear and Cummings afford the expenses associated with the teens’ goals.
“Native Americans are sometimes looked upon as being less capable,” said Woody Sampson, founder of Flying Angels Entertainment. “These are exceptional girls who are thinking way outside the box and looking toward the future.”
The event will include dinner and live music. Brent Brooks, an actor from Georgia, will deliver a keynote presentation.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $50, with sponsorships available for $1,000.
For information, call 910-521-8800.
