Hey! Yes, I am moving to the mountains. Meadows of Dan Virginia in Floyd County (Bluegrass land yall!) Are we gonna be close? I gots me 15 acres, so I will have a uke shop and hoping to eventually build a stage! Tee hee hee!
Yes, I was able to get 20 ukes for a classroom for very little money. Fortunately, I got donations over and beyond what I was expecting, so I am holding on to those funds hoping to help another classroom soon. I am waiting for the "right fit" to come around.
With my program I am trying to focus it to supplying in-class donations for lower-income school music programs, or schools in need for one reason or another. I used to work with low-income at risk youth, so my heart goes out to kids like that. The classroom I helped was primarily the kids who could not afford instruments for orchestra and band, so they had to be in "general music". My sister wanted to convert the "leftover class" into a class these kids would be proud to be in. I want the ukes I am able to provide to be able to be used year after year in as many music classes as possible so that it can get into as many kids' hands as possible. Basically, I want the most bang for every donated buck. I have a few connections in the industry to get ukes for even less than my cost for classroom purposes and I think I am going to make it a bi-yearly thing. If a child, or a few children show promise, and they need to have a uke to take home with them so they can excel and you feel they will take care, love, and practice their instrument, I hope the teachers are able to raise some minimal funds for that purpose and then... PLEASE PM ME! Now, I can only do but so much of this a year (because it takes a lot of time). BUT... I can get you a couple ukes at my cost and will donate the time to set up the uke making it easy for little fingers! Does that make sense?
OK, as for what I am doing with the extra money. Sort of sitting on it, cause I want to try to do this twice a year. AND... I am moving... AND... there is a school (it will not be my kids school, but it is close to my house), that burned to the ground. The sad thing is, it was a neat charming, old building. The families and kids that go there are very close. A lot of the people in the mountains live below the poverty level. So I am hoping to see if they need more instruments for their classes and maybe work in partnership with the music teacher to bring ukuleles into that school. I am sure they lost all their musical instruments. If, however, I find there isnt a need or want, I will be opening this money up for another school for the start of next school year!
I have so many kids at my new school wanting to join the uke club next year. My school is 50% free and reduced lunch so it'll be a challenge. Good Luck, It can happen. It happened here so i know it can happen there.
