Foundation's JCS Fund awards $150,000 in grants to music programs
WHEATON, IL--The DuPage Community Foundation is pleased to announce that its JCS Fund recently awarded $124,082 in grants to five area schools and school districts in support of their music programs and a $25,140 grant in support of the Kiwanis Club of Wheaton's Play For All Initiative.
The JCS Fund's Young People's Music Initiative invited selected schools and school districts in DuPage County to apply for grants for the 2013-14 school year, which are renewable for a second year. The Vision of the Initiative is that young people who play, sing and appreciate music lead better, more successful and rewarding lives, and that, as adults, these young people will continue to enjoy great music and support programs that provide it. The Initiative thus seeks to further its Vision through its supportive grants to selected schools and school districts, as well as through its support of DuPage County music education overall and DuPage County performance and music outreach programs of orchestras, symphonies and bands.
The grants, which ranged from $21,000 to nearly $30,000, were awarded to the Community Consolidated School District 89, Glenbard South High School, Glenbard West High School, Hadley Junior High School of Glen Ellyn School District 41 and Queen Bee School District 16. The selected schools were chosen based upon their proposed programs' designs as well as individual area needs following the completion of a competitive grant application process.
About the Young People's Music Initiative Grant Recipient Programs:
The Community Consolidated School District 89 music program, which received a grant of $24,895, will use its funding to add Ukulele instruction in fifth and sixth grade music classes at four district schools. This instruction will give students an introduction to harmony and rhythm, while also expanding on earlier instruction in music theory. The program will also encourage individual creativity, as students create their own songs, and teamwork, as students learn to work together to create a unified sound as a group. District 89 also plans to integrate iPads into its music program, allowing teachers to include composition, rhythm, music theory, instrument development and keyboard in their instruction, as well as helping students learn the basics of technological use.
One of Glenbard South High School's plans for their award of $23,430 is to implement individual music lesson scholarships for up to 60 students, connecting the students with private lesson instructors and providing them with the opportunity to try individual tutoring for a short period of time, without students having to carry the financial burden for such lessons. This program will benefit approximately 350 music students in grades 9 through 12, and will help struggling students improve their skills while also supporting other students to reach more advanced achievements and individual performance levels.
Glenbard West High School's music program will use its award of $25,000 to work in tandem with the programs of Queen Bee School District 16 and Hadley Junior High School, allowing younger students to visit Glenbard West and interact with its music students through the Mentor Interaction Program. This program will foster collaboration as students practice together, encouraging high school students to help instruct younger music students. Glenbard West also seeks to support its Ensemble/Expertise Residence Program, where 18 groups or individuals with expertise in band, choir and orchestra will visit the high school, allowing students to hear and experience high-quality music in a chamber or solo setting. Additionally, the Glenbard West Music Boosters matched $4,000 of the award to replace worn out band and orchestra instruments.
Glen Ellyn School District 41's Hadley Junior High School's Instrumental Music Department has experienced increased enrollment and growth in recent years. Accordingly, the School plans to provide the growing program with proper instrument storage. With the help of the JCS Fund's grant of $25,000, the School will replace its original lockers while also adding new lockers for student use and instrument storage for the School's entire music program. Hadley will also invited to participate in the Mentor Interaction Program of Glenbard West High School.
In addition to its invitation to participate in the Mentor Interaction Program with Glenbard West, Queen Bee School District 16's Glenside Middle School will use its grant of $29,757 to purchase 32 iPads, giving students musical instruction as well as experience with technology overall. Glenside will also add 32 Ukuleles to its program to teach students the basics of strumming, chords and rhythm creation with an instrument that is easy for students to handle. Lastly, Glenside will replace older instruments and add new instruments to its program, including a new tuba, electronic keyboard, and bass clarinet.
The Kiwanis Club of Wheaton's Play For All is the first strategically-designed area of play that will encompass sensory integration and universally-accessible playground equipment, serving all residents of DuPage County. The grant is specifically for a "sound garden" and an additional commitment of $82,950 has been made to support phase 3 of the project for an adventure-scape area.
Located in Wheaton at Danada South Park, at the northeast corner of Naperville Road and Navistar Way, the Playground will be an equestrian-themed facility and will act as a space of overall recreation and community enjoyment. It will include interactive art sculptures, a community garden with fruits and herbs, walking pathways through the 50-acre site, a children's playground with wheelchair-friendly tree house, and a water playground area, among other features. The Sensory Garden is also specifically designed to address the approximately 2,000 DuPage County families who have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder ("ASD") under the age of 14 years by providing sensory engaging opportunities that cultivate social, cognitive and physical skills. However, the Sensory Garden will enrich the quality of life of all residents of our community--particularly the aging population and those who have Sensory Integration Disorders, by offering a facility that is free to the public which features side-by-side barrier-free play for all ages and abilities.
About the JCS Fund:
The JCS Fund was established as an affiliate fund of The DuPage Community Foundation in February 2013. Its mission is to support music, cultural, health, educational, artistic and other charitable organizations serving the needs of residents of DuPage County, Illinois, with a particular emphasis on programs that provide long-term benefits. The JCS Fund also has discretion to support charitable organizations serving other communities if it determines that the goals of those organizations are consistent with the Fund's charitable interests.
About the Foundation:
The DuPage Community Foundation seeks to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County by fostering philanthropy, connecting donors to area needs and building community partnerships. Based on the American virtues of volunteerism and philanthropy, the Foundation fosters a legacy of support for the people of DuPage County by making grants to not-for-profit organizations working in the areas of arts and culture, education, environment, health, and human services. Since its inception, the Foundation has built its endowment to more than $48 million and awarded more than $16 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.
Established in 1986, The DuPage Community Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) organization to which contributions are tax deductible. It was created to benefit the people of DuPage County and receives contributions and bequests into a permanent endowment from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations wishing to make lasting contributions to the people of DuPage. The earnings on these funds are then used, in accordance with donor wishes, for the Foundation's grant making and community leadership activities.
For more information about the Foundation, or to arrange future media opportunities, please contact Joelyn Kott, marketing & communications officer, at (630) 665-5556, extension 19, or jkott@dcfdn.org.