Thanks so much, Nigel. I'm covering the cost of this little program, and didn't mean to solicit contributions. Actually, I did this out of the blue. I just saw the gig bags in Angela's home room and offered to help when she explained what she did. The school has no formal program to raise funds. (I didn't even check with them, but made the commitment to Angela. Can't imagine there would be any objections). It will cost me $2,000 to set things up the first year and lots less in subsequent years. Considering the benefits, that's a BARGAIN!

The school involved is the Kenwood Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky. Angela has been doing this for years and using "garage sale" instruments...barely playable when new. Because there is no funding, she and her husband have always covered the costs, even though the school promotes the program, and includes it in the list of "clubs"(All kids have to belong to several of the "clubs").

The challenged granddaughter of the widow of a musician who passed in 2007(I serve as guardian for the widow) is in Angela's home room. I drove Janice, who is also challenged, to Kenwood for graduation.

Actually, my commitment is to Angela, and I have offered to fund the program by buying 12 new Yamaha 3/4 size classics (the one that most elementary school systems use), plus bags, strings, winders...whatever will help. Then, we're going to fix up as many of the old steel strings as possible and let kids check them out to take home a week at a time. Now, they only get to play on "club day", and that's not ideal!

While we're covered here, I'll bet it wouldn't take 5 minutes to discover an elementary school guitar program in any town in the United States who could use the donation of a set of strings, a winder...a gig bag, or ,in the case of good "pickers" (like Nigel), an offer to help teach.

You'd be amaised at the joy I see in these kids faces when they get to hear or play live music.


That's why the front bumper on my Subaru has a plate that reads:

MUSIC MATTERS!

Thanks, again Nigel!

Russ