Free KoAloha tenor ukulele

Or... you could just sell it and donate the proceeds to the charity or individual of your choice. The uke will be played and appreciated, and you'd still be passing it forward.
 
Very sweet gesture! I have no idea who to nominate. I'm sure it will land in the right hands though.
 
first of all, thank you so much to AL for thinking of me here!

and second of all...

Or... you could just sell it and donate the proceeds to the charity or individual of your choice. The uke will be played and appreciated, and you'd still be passing it forward.

UU-er BigDaddyUker did a GoFundMe thing last year where he put up for sale alot of lovely ukes he had with all the proceeds going to The Ukulele Kids Club, which gives ukes to kids in hospital - something like that would give the gift of music and ukulele to a whole bunch of deserving young people, plus the KoAloha would go to a good home, you could put it on the marketplace here on UU and say whatever good cause the proceeds will be going to... just a thought
 
Or... you could just sell it and donate the proceeds to the charity or individual of your choice. The uke will be played and appreciated, and you'd still be passing it forward.

first of all, thank you so much to AL for thinking of me here!

and second of all...



UU-er BigDaddyUker did a GoFundMe thing last year where he put up for sale alot of lovely ukes he had with all the proceeds going to The Ukulele Kids Club, which gives ukes to kids in hospital - something like that would give the gift of music and ukulele to a whole bunch of deserving young people, plus the KoAloha would go to a good home, you could put it on the marketplace here on UU and say whatever good cause the proceeds will be going to... just a thought

I appreciate the suggestion, I really do. But to be honest, it just feels more pure to me to give this actual uke away. Thank you though, I did give that some thought. This ukulele was a gift to me, and I just really want to gift it to someone that will play and treasure it, plus I promised the KoAloha folks I would never sell it.
 
Ukes for kids!

They'd love to give it to one of their kids.
 
What an incredibly wonderful gesture.

Another reason to love this community. :agree:
 
I understand what you are saying Tudorp. It is a fairly common narrative and with good reason - its generally true. As a music teacher I try to instill the values you speak of in all of my students. As a rule no one is allowed to touch my instruments until they have earned my trust by demonstrating they know the value of the instruments and how to respect and handle them properly. There are only a few students who have earned my trust in this way.
I must respectfully disagree with you in this particular case, however, because children are individuals just like adults. They vary widely in character, temperament and values. Ellie played for a year and a half on a $50 Makala issued by the school music program. She practiced constantly and quickly became quite a good player. The instrument was holding her back. In ukulele class and at performances we would let her use our instruments a Kamaka and a Martin, which she would handle with the utmost respect! When we pooled our money to buy her an $80 ukulele she and her family could hardly believe it - this was a huge gift to them as they could not afford to buy her one. There are no "silver spoons" in this hard working family. She handles that $80 uke as if it was the most valuable and precious instrument in the world; always kept in the case, always handled gently, always kept clean and in perfect tune, and always played every day.
I am sure that there are several quite deserving people who would be a great choice for this very generous gift. And I am sure that wickedwahine11 will choose well. But, I would hate for Ellie to be out of consideration just because someone who doesn't even know her said "hey, she's just a kid." I know that she is an incredible young person who will grow up to be a valuable part of her community and affect a lot of people in a positive way just like her parents do.
 
What a wonderful thing to do, Staci. Someone will be a very happy recipient of this beautiful uke. :)
 
For those folks that have been kind enough to nominate people, some of you have sent me videos of the people you have nominated playing. It isn't a requirement but it really helps me decide. I want to make sure the ukulele (if it goes to an individual) goes to someone that truly appreciates it. I am not expecting Jake talent of course, but the whole point of me giving it away is I want it to be able to sing its voice and be played by its owner. That may or may not be fair, but it is worth $1000, and unless it goes to a charity, I would prefer an intermediate or above player receive it. The whole reason I am donating it is because I want someone with skills, but not necessarily the cash, to be its owner.

There really is no other way for me to decide amongst a lot of wonderful sounding people. I have received nominations that have really tugged on my heartstrings, older folks on a fixed income, young kids with lots of promise, etc. Nobody is more "worthy" than anyone else. Talent or love of Hawaii or ukulele might end up being the way I decide.

I also just want to say, I recognize there are bad people out there. People who might fake a nomination to get a free KoAloha for themselves, to sell or keep. I don't think anyone here would be that cynical or rotten, but I suppose it is possible. Videos would help to weed out that possibility. So again, it is not required, but I really want to be sure that the person that receives this ukulele will be one that lives pono. (the Hawaiian word, not the ukulele brand). I really need $1000 right now, the timing belt on my car needs to be replaced and my hood needs to be painted. If someone was going to sell this ukulele for cash, I would want it to be me. But that does not sit right in my heart. It was a gift and I don't believe I should financially profit from it. I just hope the recipient feels the same way.
 
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Just a thought...there are several veterans organizations (Disabled Vets Assn., VFW, American Legion, etc) which can identify a young disabled vet who already plays a stringed instrument and can appreciate the KoAloha and use it as an extention to his/her therapy. A call to the local VA or county veterans services representative would start the identification of the appropriate vet.
 
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Just a thought...there are several veterans organizations (Disabled Vets Assn., VFW, American Legion, etc) which can identify a young disabled vet who already plays a stringed instrument and can appreciate the KoAloha and use it as an extention to his/her therapy. A call to the local VA or county veterans services representative would start the identification of the appropriate vet.

Thanks for the suggestion. As the wife, daughter and granddaughter of vets, I REALLY like it. I also recall seeing a news segment on a rock band of veterans, I will definitely give that some thought. Maybe start with the Hawaii National Guard units if they have any wounded warriors that play ukulele. :)
 
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Thanks for the suggestion. As the wife, daughter and granddaughter of vets, I REALLY like it. I also recall seeing a news segment on a rock band of veterans, I will definitely give that some thought. Maybe start with the Hawaii National Guard units if they have any wounded warriors that play ukulele. :)

That is a great Idea. The new vets need more support than they have been getting and I think there is a VA hospital in LA.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. As the wife, daughter and granddaughter of vets, I REALLY like it. I also recall seeing a news segment on a rock band of veterans, I will definitely give that some thought. Maybe start with the Hawaii National Guard units if they have any wounded warriors that play ukulele. :)

What a wonderful idea. I'm a vet and I can tell you that the ukulele can be a "lifesaver" in ways I could never explain. For you to gift such a wonderful instrument to a vet, well it just warms my heart. Imagine the thrill you will be giving someone who might otherwise never hope to own a KoAloha. It could change their life.
 
Just a thought...there are several veterans organizations (Disabled Vets Assn., VFW, American Legion, etc) which can identify a young disabled vet who already plays a stringed instrument and can appreciate the KoAloha and use it as an extention to his/her therapy. A call to the local VA or county veterans services representative would start the identification of the appropriate vet.

The internet is full of stories of the healing power of music on a wounded/traumatized veteran. This wonderful idea gets my vote (if I get to vote!)
 
Thanks for the suggestion. As the wife, daughter and granddaughter of vets, I REALLY like it. I also recall seeing a news segment on a rock band of veterans, I will definitely give that some thought. Maybe start with the Hawaii National Guard units if they have any wounded warriors that play ukulele. :)

Staci,

If you decide to look for a veteran to whom to donate your KoAloha, an organization called Guitars for Vets might be able to help you.

Here's a link to the web site.
http://www.guitars4vets.org/
 
Staci, thank you for doing this and bringing the spirit of aloha.

I just wanted to say that you shouldn't feel that it has to go anyone, disabled or poor, young or old. It should go to a cause, person or story that touch YOUR heart. I'm positive you will do an excellent choice, and make someone very happy.

A bit off topic perhaps but in the spirit of aloha nonetheless, this thread got me thinking. I was cleaning my office and found my old pair of glasses, and was about to throw them away when I realised that they could mean the world to someone. 500$ glasses is not something that everyone can afford, but many need. I googled a little and one of our big optic store chains here in Sweden collect old glasses and travel to africa with opticians every year and distribute them to the people who need them the most.

So if you have old glasses lying about at home, consider helping someone out!
 
Hello again. Just wanted to put up a vid as per your request. This is Jan and I Jamming after a uke meet in Reston, VA. You have a tough decision to make but a fun one! I also have to say I wouldn't mind having this uke either, lol. I play constantly and each uke you have has a different sweetness to it. Giving her attention would not be a problem :)

 
This is such a wonderful and generous idea, while I do not know anybody who deserves or could use this uke, I would like to be able to donate the shipping cost if you need to send it away form So Cal.
 
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