By: Jeffrey D. Stauffer – Executive Director
I hope this message finds everyone well as we move towards the fall semester for schools, one of the busiest times of the year for the Elville Center. I am receiving many “wish lists” from music teachers we are working to fulfill for their music programs, and now more than ever your support is needed to help the Elville Center “Make a Musical Difference in the Lives of Children” who want to participate in music but don’t have the means to do so on their own. Many of the schools we work with have student populations that come from disadvantaged backgrounds and simply don’t have the funds to purchase or rent instruments and the supplies needed to maintain them.
To go along with the above work, the time is near when we are going to make a large purchase on behalf of Sisters Academy in Halethorpe. As I mentioned in my June update, Sisters Academy is “a tuition-free, Catholic, community-centered middle school that educates girls of different races, ethnicities and religions from families with limited economic means in southwest and west Baltimore. The Academy empowers its students to become agents of transformation in their families, communities, and society.” In May, I had the pleasure of meeting with Ms. Jeanne Dolamore, Principal; Ms. Eileen Phelps, Development Director; and Ms. Alison Johnson, Music Teacher, at the Halethorpe-based Academy to learn about the school, its staff and students, and its music program’s current situation, its vision and needs. To view my June update about Sisters Academy please click here.
The program has two sets of beautiful hand chimes and one set of hand bells that get a lot of use. Ms. Johnson has resurrected some hand chimes that were donated but several of them are starting to show a great deal of wear – they are literally being held together by Scotch tape. While these sets are integral pieces to the music program, they are not sustainable and must be replaced.
This is where the Elville Center and you come in. I am asking for your support to help us purchase a new set of Suzuki chimes for Sisters Academy. This is a significant expenditure and will run about $1,400. A link to a description of the chimes can be found here.
The Elville Center needs your support for this purchase and others for the fall semester that is around the corner. Virtually every single one of the refurbished instruments, equipment and supplies the Elville Center provides are not possible without donor support. We need those instruments that you don’t use anymore and are taking up space.
And, most importantly, we need your monetary support to help purchase those Suzuki chimes, refurbish those instruments, purchase supplies, and facilitate cultural learning experiences for student musicians in need such as the student musicians at Sisters Academy.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, all donations made to the Elville Center are tax-deductible. Right now is an ideal time to consider a donation – it feels good to know you made a difference! There are many needs at Sisters Academy and many other schools we are working on, and we are asking for your support in helping us make a difference in these student musicians’ lives!
To learn even more about the Elville Center for the Creative Arts, please visit www.elvillecenter.org, contact Executive Director Jeff Stauffer at jeff@elvillecenter.org, or call 443-676-9691 (my cell). Or, to donate through Venmo, please use our business handle (@elvillecenter). To donate through our website, please visit https://elvillecenter.org/make-a-monetary-donation/. We appreciate and value your support!
Most sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Stauffer
Executive Director
Elville Center for the Creative Arts, Inc.
7100 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 190
Columbia, Maryland 21046
P: (Main)
C: 443-676-9691 (Cell)
