Hungry for Music Notes
February 2017
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Hungry for Music is an organization that supports music education and cultural enrichment by acquiring and distributing quality musical instruments to underserved children with willing instructors and a hunger to play. |
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2016 Recap
by Jeff Campbell |
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It's been a whirlwind since our last newsletter in December. Hungry for Music ended the year with a flurry of donations that put us over 700, a new annual milestone! Our end of the year outreach included:
- One Yamaha electronic drum set and three clarinets to Renzi Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.
- Music accessories (music stand, flute book, music flash cards, and lagniappe) to a young flutist in Galveston, Texas.
- Tambourines, jingle bells, rhythm shakers for two little girls being raised by their grandfather in New Orleans.
- Five acoustic guitars to Laurel, Delaware Public Library guitar program.
- Six violins to Austin Public Schools in Texas in memory of Amy Farris.
- Seven electric guitars/basses and Ludwig blue sparkle drum set to Girls Rock Camp in Cleveland; also will be utilized by Cleveland Boys and Girls Club.
- Ten amplifiers, eight electric guitars, two acoustic guitars, 24 keyboards, one complete PA system, music books and accessories to the Feel Good Tour in Roanoke, Virginia.
- Three saxophones (alto and tenor), a trombone, percussion kit, horn mutes and cleaning supplies to Roots of Music in New Orleans. This was a Christmas Eve delivery to Roots of Music Founder Derek Tabb, at his Treme Hideaway music venue!
- Twelve sets of rhythm sticks to John Burroughs Elementary School in Washington, DC.
Our record-breaking August, with 218 instruments donated, gave us the momentum to close out 2016 with a new donation record. This milestone would not have been reached without the support of many dedicated volunteers who pick up, repair, and deliver the instruments, including Billy Astrove, Colin Baxter, Ted Crawford, Kelly Criscuolo-Debutts, Walt Fales (rest in peace), Alan Friedman, Marc Glickman, Jim Gormley, Mike Greek, Allan Harrington, Steve Lefler, John Membrino, Evan Pollack, Wayne Rodgers, James Vance, Zac Weinstein, and Dee Wright.
I would also like to give Dee Wright a grateful shout out for taking care of the huge task of handling all of the administrative responsibilities, including communicating with donors and recipients, website updates, newsletter design and distribution, and all correspondence. With her expertise, Hungry for Music has integrated the Salesforce CRM platform, which allows us to track each instrument and much more. Thank you, Dee!
The Hungry for Music train hasn't slowed down in 2017, as we have already surpassed 100 donated instruments. The two largest being (1) supporting the dream of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeanmar Gomez by providing a music school in his home country of Venezuela with instruments (see below), and (2) supporting our partner since 2009, Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM). We gifted JAM with 27 guitars, three banjos, three dulcimers, one hammer dulcimer, two autoharps, a mandolin, and 15 guitar stands.
Many of our donations are of a smaller or individual variety, like Camden below. Many more are lined-up for the coming weeks, including donations to a long-time partner and two new international sites. Check out the next newsletter and social media for updates and news on the upcoming travel plans of Hungry for Music's Magic Music Bus, Big Bertha.
I appreciate your support of our outreach. Please consider sharing our newsletter, website, or social media pages with your friends and colleagues.
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One Instrument at a Time...
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Below, Camden In Barberton, Ohio, with his new trumpet.
"Thank you for the help. What a wonderful job you are doing for these kids. What a difference you make."
Camden's Mom |
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SAVE THE DATE!
The 22nd Annual Hungry for Crawfish
May 13
Alexandria, VA
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Tickets available soon.
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Walt "the Band Man" Fales |
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Dedicated HFM volunteer, who can be seen in the promotional video below, passed away on January 14th.
We will miss his positive attitude and enthusiastic support of Hungry for Music. Rest in peace, Walt.
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A huge thanks to Dave at East Coast Drums in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, for giving us space to store our drum donations and allowing our drum tech, Evan Pollack, to access the space for repairs. With our warehouse space shrinking, this helps us out in a big way!
Give 'em a like!
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Update from Livingston Collegiate |
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Last August, we partnered with the Spirit of Harmony Foundation and donated more than 70 band instruments to help Livingston Collegiate School in New Orleans start a music program and marching band. We received an update from them last week. Here's a snippet:
"Our music program is thriving! Our program is taking shape in a few different ways and growing stronger by the day. We're excited for them to march this season and our students will be able to participate in the parade season.
We very much appreciate your partnership and generosity"
Evan Stoudt,
Founding Principal
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Stay Connected. Get the HFM App. |
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Jeanmar Gomez Steps Up
We are excited to team-up with Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeanmar Gomez, who hails from Venezuela. When Gomez found out about Hungry for Music last year, he was compelled to send instruments to kids in his home country. He contacted us and, over several months, we worked out the details.
The instruments were sent to Miami this week, via three different sources, to be shipped to Venezuela. The donation consisted of eight acoustic guitars, six acoustic/electric guitars, six amplifiers, six ukuleles, an acoustic bass, drums, and assorted percussion instruments.
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Since becoming a non-profit 23 years ago, Hungry for Music has brought the healing quality of music to more than 10,000 children in 48 states and 20 countries through its musical instrument donation program. We appreciate everyone who has helped us along the way and could not fulfill our mission without the generosity of others.
If you are able, please donate funds, buy a t-shirt from our online store, or visit our website to find out about other ways you can support Hungry for Music. |
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Miss a recent newsletter? Click the link to view past issues.
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