Donor Spotlight: PAYO, Performing Arts for Youth Organization

PAYO, The Performing Arts Youth Organization, was founded in 1969 with the belief that exposure to the arts—dance, song, storytelling, creative writing, and more—promoted and inspired a lifelong passion for creativity.

For over forty years, the non-profit arts organization sponsored a variety of high quality, multi-cultural music, dance and drama performances to over 70,000 local schoolchildren annually. This included productions by professional performers as well as local youth groups such as the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale and the Colorado College Children’s Dance Theatre. PAYO’s free performances integrated education with performing arts and were presented during school hours to make them accessible to all students.

To deepen their impact, PAYO partnered with the Community Partnership for Child Development (Head Start) and local community centers to stage performances and allow children to work with artists in residence. The importance of this work was demonstrated by a 2000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEH) study which documented how exposure to the arts improves self-esteem while empowering children to solve conflicts and express emotions more appropriately.

In August 2025, the PAYO Board of Directors donated a collection of papers, objects, and photographs that document the breadth of the organization’s programs and impact to the CSPM. They also generously donated $500 to the Museum to assist in the processing, rehousing, and preservation of the collection. Thank you, PAYO, both for your indelible legacy of access to arts education for young people in the Pikes Peak region, and for ensuring that the CSPM will be able to continue to share your story for many years to come.