Inspirited GivingLike you, this season I will be asked to make a donation to a number of extraordinary non-profits. The question I am compelled to ask before I contribute is this: Does this organization champion an unadorned goodness and inspirit me to give back to the world? For Community MusicWorks, the answer is an emphatic yes. This year I’ve had the privilege of serving as Community MusicWorks’ new Managing Director. I recently had an experience that is a poignant example of how CMW lives and breathes its mission of transformation through music and community. In October, a bus full of CMW students, parents, staff musicians, and guests headed to New York City to perform with virtuoso violinist Johnny Gandelsman, Venezuelan composer Gonzalo Grau and a professional salsa band. The hall was packed and abuzz with energy and excitement. The concert’s resounding success was a group effort. Each person played a critical role, from our student musicians and the professionals mentoring them, to our pride-filled parents, who managed logistics, and an audience that sang, danced and clapped along. What a night! Together, we created a community through music. Together, we were transformed. That evening, I witnessed CMW at its best. And this is just one example of the ways in which Community MusicWorks, through 18 years of nurturing student musicians through our free afterschool programs, builds community and creates transformation. But as exciting as that trip was, it’s the daily hard work of dedicated musician-teachers and students in lessons and rehearsals here in Rhode Island that makes an evening like our New York concert possible. Your donation today makes all of this possible. The connection we build through music, each and every day, inspires hope. Our families live in Providence’s toughest neighborhoods and represent diverse cultures and ethnicities. Yet music brings us together. Andrew, one of our students, said it best: “CMW is like the world, but it’s better.” From the lesson room to the concert hall, the unadorned goodness that Community MusicWorks champions is the creation of joyful community. Seeing first-hand the ways in which this organization transforms lives, I know I want to give back to this world, made better. Will you join me in supporting this amazing work? We cannot do this without you. Click here to make your secure online donation to Community MusicWorks. Gratefully, |
