The D’Addario Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit who supports community-based not-for-profit programs bringing music education back into impoverished areas, will host another instrument collection event at the Ace Hotel in downtown Chicago on Dec. 1 from 4-7 p.m. D’Addario is partnering with the Ace Hotel as well as Hungry for Music, Todd Rundgren’s Spirit of Harmony, Instruments in the Cloud and Chicago Federation of Musicians to accept donations of instruments that will in turn be repaired and given to students in need in many of the amazing programs throughout Chicago and beyond. This event is riding on the coattails of a very successful instrument drive in NY that netted 97 instruments in total.
“We have seen a significant uptick in requests for instruments from the many music programs that apply for Foundation support. We are determined to fulfill the needs of these programs as completely as possible to ensure that kids are not being turned away for lack of resources,” Suzanne D’Addario Brouder says, Executive Director of the D’Addario Foundation. “By collaborating with amazing organizations, we maximize our collective goal of making it possible for more children to have access to transformative music education.”
On a biannual basis, the D’Addario Foundation screens and vets hundreds of not-for-profit and school music programs applying for monetary and product/equipment support. They believe strongly in supporting grassroots community efforts in areas of great need where immersive music education becomes a powerful tool for positive social change. Many of the music programs supported by D’Addario have proven positive academic and social outcomes for students participating, especially those most at-risk and in need of a nurturing community to express themselves.
“The programs we support are there for kids in so many ways becoming a life-line and safe-haven,” says D’Addario Brouder.
The Ace Hotel is located at 311 North Morgan Street in the West Loop of Chicago.
For those who have a musical instrument to donate but aren't able to participate on Dec. 1, the D'Addario Foundation encourages finding a need for their gently used musical instrument by using Instruments in the Cloud, an online giving platform designed to connect instrument donors directly with classrooms in need. Music educators in the Chicago area have begun using this free resource to quickly communicate their music program needs.
