S'Cool Sounds Receives $50,000 Challenge Grant
From New York to Kenya and beyond, S'Cool Sounds (SCS) is building community through music by providing free or low cost music lessons for learners of all ages. These life-changing programs are made possible by the generosity of our supporters. We are thrilled to announce that we have received a $50,000 challenge grant toward our annual giving campaign!
Donate today to help us claim this generous gift!
This year, longtime friends of S'Cool Sounds Lois and Alexis Pace have generously provided these matching funds to honor the legacy of SCS Board President Emeritus Richard Pace.
When announcing his first challenge grant for SCS in 2020, Richard wrote: "I like so many baby boomers started my musical education at PS 106 in the Bronx in 3rd grade. By 5th and 6th grade, I was part of the music classes who regularly played in band for school assemblies. I owe my musical literacy to the public education system, to which I am eternally grateful. Let us make sure that the current generation of students is given the same opportunity."
In continuation of Richard's passion and generosity, the Pace family continues to support SCS in everything we do. His daughter Alexis remarked: "Music was everything to my father at every stage of his life. His early exposure to music captured his imagination at a young age and shaped who he was as a generous, inquisitive, intelligent and giving person. In loving tribute, we honor his legacy by continuing to introduce young audiences to the power of music."
Recently, Richard's wife Lois joyfully recalled his dedication to bringing music to every student: "I’m so glad that Richard lived to watch S’Cool Sounds initially provide classes in the New York Public Schools and then ‘takeoff’ during COVID when teachers clamored for more. What an amazing story for those lucky students!”
To meet our goal by the end of 2024, we need your help! Check out what your contribution can do:
$15,000 funds a full-year SCS music residency for an entire grade in a NYC public school.
$5,000 puts a ukulele in the hands of every fourth grader at a NYC public school.
$3,000 sponsors a winter session of the SCS Futures Music Program for high schoolers in Kibera (Nairobi, Kenya)
$1,500 buys a permanent percussion collection for a NYC public school.
$250 buys a soprano recorder for all second graders at a NYC public school.
Every donation brings us closer to claiming this year's $50,000 challenge grant. Join us as a supporter today, and become a part of our mission to create community through music!
