This event is not open to the general public.

MPS Online Graduation

This event is not open to the general public.

PYC Arts & Technology High School graduation rehearsal.

Join us for the 2^nd Annual PCYC Gala @ the Capri!

Celebrating 70 Years of Service

April 27, 2024

Featuring: Silent and live auctions • Dinner • Entertainment • Lodestar Award presentation to Jim & Anne Long and Walter “QBear” Banks • Stories of history and hope • And a fund-a-need, all to raise money in support of PCYC’s mission:

Rooted in North Minneapolis, PCYC ignites a spirit of inspiration, connection, and growth. 

PCYC Lodestar Award Recipients 2024

Anne and Jim Long and Walter “Q Bear” Banks are the second annual recipients of the PCYC Lodestar Award. Anne and Jim have been an integral part of PCYC for 50 years. Their countless contributions to the agency, their unwavering dedication to youth, families, education and the arts, and their commitment to the Northside, have left an indelible mark on PCYC and this community. Beloved KMOJ DJ and community member extraordinaire, Walter “Q Bear” Banks has been on the air for more than 40 years, broadcasting the Minneapolis Sound, building up the Northside, welcoming artists, and serving as the strong, creative, welcoming voice of North Minneapolis. His commitment to this community is evident, as well, through his frequent visits to PCYC and the Capri, where he lends his support to the youth, families and artists we serve.

We also invite you to join us a sponsor of this momentous occasion.

Donate to PCYC/the Capri

The PCYC Summer Celebration Is:

• FREE: But please register to attend HERE.
• FUN: Mini golf, spin art, bouncy house, art activities, lawn games, face painting, drawings
• FOOD: Hot dogs, vegetarian burgers, watermelon, chips ‘n cookies
• MUSIC: Supplied by KMOJ, our media sponsor
• MORE: Sign up for our free Bright Futures K-5 Summer Program. Find out what’s happenin’ at PYC Arts & Tech High School and what’s goin’ down @ the Capri. Learn how PCYC plays an important role here on the Northside.

It’s gonna be a great day in the neighborhood.  Please join us!

Want to volunteer?  Or be a sponsor?  Let us know!  events@pcyc-mpls.org

We’ve had an incredible response to our Gala invitations and gratefully announce that the Dinner Program portion of the evening is sold out.

You can still make an impact with a special Gala Donation in support of PCYC’s 69-year history and bright, inspiring futures for our North Minneapolis youth and communities.

And you can still participate in the Gala in several ways!

Purchase tickets to the concert by The Steeles 

Sponsor the Gala

Volunteer (includes FREE TICKET to the Steeles).

Donate items for the silent auction.

Celebrate with The Steeles!

The melodic sounds of the Steeles have been heard around the world and all across the United States, but on April first, they’ll be right here at home, on the Northside, with all of us – and what a pleasure this will be!

8:30pm, Saturday, April 1

Tickets: $45 or $30 for Northsiders

The PCYC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Melissa Denton has been named as the new Executive Director of PCYC, which includes the Capri Theater. She joins the beloved Northside institution on the one-year anniversary of the grand re-opening of the Capri.

Denton brings a broad range of experience and expertise to her the position, including an extensive background in theater and the arts, and 20 years of experience in all functional areas of nonprofit management.

Most recently, Denton served as the Executive Director and Program Director for The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company in Los Angeles, a nonprofit whose mission is “to mentor, educate, and enrich youth in under-resourced communities through the creation of collaborative, original theatre.” There, Denton co-founded the Arts for Healing and Justice Network with 14 arts-based nonprofit organizations. Together, members of this collaborative work with thousands of youth in the L.A. juvenile justice system to build resilience and wellness using creative arts practices. During her tenure at The Unusual Suspects she also created long-range strategies to achieve organizational growth and timely progress toward goals; maintained 20+ national, state, local, and private partnerships, and increased revenue by 160% over 5 years to build the organization’s first-ever operating reserve.

Her professional roots as an actor and director are in Minneapolis where, fresh out of college, she interned as a reporter at KMOJ Radio and performed with Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop. From the Twin Cities, she moved on to Los Angeles and New York, where she found her passion and expanded her vocational objectives to include arts education with a focus on youth.

Denton received her undergraduate in Mass Communications from South Dakota State University, her Arts Education Certificate from Marymount Manhattan College in New York, and her Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management from Antioch University in LA.

“We are so excited to bring Melissa on board, with her wealth of experience and her passion for empowering young people and communities,” said Karen Polzin, PCYC Board President. “She is a smart, generous, and creative soul who will serve PCYC very well. Our future looks bright!”

“I’m honored to be selected to join the inspiring staff, teachers, artists, alumni, board, and community partners for PCYC’s next chapter,” said Denton. “I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure arts and education are at the core of supporting the hopes, dreams, and opportunities for our youth and families, and generating connections that build community.”