Project 440 Receives First International Grant of $40,000 from Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT)

Thanks to the support of generous trusts and foundations, Project 440 has received $50,000 in grant funding so far in 2021, including the organization’s first international grant of $40,000 from the Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT). The organization has also received $7,500 from The Presser Foundation, over $3,000 from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and $2,500 from The D’Addario Foundation.

BBT Founder Ilaria Borletti Buitoni commented, “All the organisations we support recognise the power of music to transform; to not only teach music skills that generate feelings of pride, accomplishment and respite from challenging daily lives, but also to engender the sense of inclusion, friendship, communication and self-respect that comes from engaging in music-making as a group.”

Project 440 was one of just eight organizations selected by BBT from across the globe. Our peer organizations are working in Kenya, Southern Italy, Norfolk, and beyond ignite positive change through music. Click here to read about all awarded organizations and programs.

Funds from BBT will be used to fund a second cohort of Project 440’s flagship Doing Good program in Philadelphia for the first time, doubling the program’s impact and expanding capacity to 50 students.

“Project 440 is honored to receive our first international award for the important work of our organization,” Executive Director Joseph Conyers stated. “That we can now duplicate our efforts in reaching more young people in Philadelphia both gives us great pride and strengthens our resolve to reach more of our city's you. We are thankful to these foundations for enabling Project 440 to provide our most extensive programming to the greatest number of Philadelphia youth in our organization's history.”

Funds from the Presser and D’Addario Foundation will be used to continue and expand Project 440 programming including Doing Good, Instruments for Success, and Youth Advocacy Council. Through each of these programs, we are resolute in our mission: to empower students to use music as a tool to forge new pathways for themselves and ignite change in their communities. Our vision is that every young person will have the necessary opportunities and tools for personal growth and community impact. By developing these tools through students’ shared interest in music, our programming benefits not just our students, but our community by creating a world where music is seen not as a curricular “add on,” but as an essential cornerstone of any vibrant education.

We are immensely grateful for the support of The Borletti-Buitoni Trust, The Presser Foundation, and The D’Addario Foundation for their generous support, which makes our work possible.

The Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) supports both outstanding young musicians (BBT Artists) and charitable organisations that help the underprivileged and disadvantaged through music (BBT Communities). Whether developing and sustaining young artists’ international careers, or bringing the joy of music to new communities, the Trust provides invaluable assistance and encouragement.  www.bbtrust.com

The Presser Foundation was established in 1939 under the Deeds of Trust and Will of the late Theodore Presser. In the charter of incorporation, The Foundation’s purposes are set forth to promote primarily the cause of musical education and musical philanthropy as follows: to provide scholarships for promising students; to increase the value of music education by erecting suitable buildings; and to administer aid to worthy teachers of music in distress.

The Philadelphia Cultural Fund (PCF) was established in 1991 when Philadelphia’s Mayor and City Council authorized the creation of an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide funds to enhance the cultural life and vitality of the City of Philadelphia and its residents. PCF is managed by a professional philanthropy staff, with governance provided by a board comprised of arts leaders, community members and representatives named by the Mayor and City Council President. The PCF aims to advocate for and promote arts and culture as engines of social, education and economic development in Philadelphia.

The D’Addario Foundation is a non-profit organization that identifies the highest quality, most impactful instrument instruction programs in communities of need and awards grants and product donations to assist their growth and development. The Foundation believes in the power of music to unlock creativity, boost self-confidence, and enhance academics. By making music education accessible, we can positively affect social change and foster better citizens of the world.

Music in Color: Social Media as a Tool for Change

The following blog post was written by Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) member, Maria Karakousis. Join YAC for the next session of their Music in Color series on Monday, March 29th.

On the last Monday of January, I had the opportunity to speak with bass player Dalanie Harris, co-host of the renowned Classically Black podcast and co-founder of the growing International Society for Black Musicians, and oboe player Mekhi Gladden, alumnus of the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program and current student of the Curtis Institute of Music. I did not just run into such talent and inspiration on the street — I don’t have that kind of awesome luck. Actually, I met these two wonderful people at the culmination of a month of planning and organizing with my fellow members of the Project 440 Youth Advocacy Council (YAC): the January Music in Color event. Where else would I be able to not only listen to, but converse with, people like Dalanie and Mekhi?

Dalanie Harris & Katie Brown of Classically Black. Harris joined YAC for their January session of Music in Color.

For those readers who are not familiar with Music in Color, this new series hosted by YAC on the last Monday of every other month aims to share with Philadelphia-area youth the origins, struggles, and ultimate success of minority classical musicians who are using their talents to help create the positive change they want to see in their communities. Each session consists of a live conversation between all who attend, which always include several truly amazing professionals. Our past three conversations have centered around specific subjects, but the overarching take-away from each Music in Color Zoom call is that no matter your race or identity, you can succeed in classical music and use it to make a positive impact on the places and groups that need it.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “where words fail, music speaks?” Hans Christian Andersen’s quote couldn’t ring more true, but I hope he wouldn’t mind my narrowing it down: “where words fail, classical music speaks” for the sake of this piece. Classical music has always been a part of my life and has never failed to help me through rough times. I feel so blessed to have been able to continue playing Chopin on the piano and Dittersdorf on the harp (thanks to the generosity of The Glissando Program) through the social distancing mandated by a pandemic that took my grandfathers. Though we classical musicians find joy in bringing the work of dead people to life, the elephant is in the room: classical music itself is dying, starved of appreciation beyond its shrinking circle of enthusiasts. We are now faced with a crucial question: how do we keep alive what we love?

The answer, Dalanie and Mekhi agree, lies in the enormous power of social media to make what seems distant and unattainable accessible to people, especially youth, who otherwise feel they have no point of entry into a group or field. Specifically, as we discussed during January’s session, we need to make classical music more accessible to Black and Hispanic kids, and to cast light on the abundance of work by composers of color that has been kept mostly in the dark, if we hope for the rebound of classical music. In our time, harnessing social media’s ability to market and project underrepresented voices is the clearest pathway to accomplishing both of these goals.

Dalanie began work toward these goals with her Classically Black podcast, which presents classical music in a way that is by and for Black people. Though she started the podcast just under three years ago, she has already received confirmation that she is helping to bridge the gap between classical music and Black culture, bringing Black people into the world of classical music when “they may not necessarily have an entry point.” In talking to Music in Color attendees about how she uses her social platforms to showcase Black musical achievement and make Black musicians feel seen, she shared, “we’ve gotten a couple messages over the years saying, ‘You know, I really felt alone in classical music until you said X-Y-Z...’ that’s really affirming to hear that people feel that way listening to our show.” For Dalanie and Mekhi, social media is intuitively their tool to create and foster community. As Mekhi put it, “music is inherently social, so it makes sense that it passes so easily through social media.” Dalanie told us that this strong sense of community present across social media platforms is especially important when trying to “connect with each other because a lot of [minority] people may feel like they are the only one in classical music” and when uplifting and upholding the work of underrepresented composers.

According to Mekhi, the most important aspect of social media that has incredible potential to foster social change is that it begets “this constant flow of information that helps you expand your horizons.” In order to expose her audience to new Black players and composers, Dalanie explained, she herself has had to first seek out and expose herself to that because she’s “just a person in the classical music industry too” whose classical music education did not emphasize the work of Black musicians. “We all know that there’s plenty of music out there and we need to highlight key voices,” said Mekhi. Social media is the door to finding that music and those voices. That is why he has committed himself to live streaming recitals featuring pieces composed by friends or little-known composers and configuring his social media feeds to include more of the “music written by people who have had their voices stifled by the canon [of repertoire] and such that just needs to get performed.” The first step is getting those kinds of mostly unheard pieces written by underrepresented composers out there into the virtual human web. That will lead more people to perform it, which will lead more people to realize that there is so much beautiful music by minority composers that they are missing out on, and which we should emphasize and rally around if we want to not only help classical music survive, but push it to thrive.

Well readers, that is what I learned and have now reflected upon following the January 2021 Music in Color session. Its duration of one hour felt too short a time to spend talking with Dalanie and Mekhi, but I hope you agree that what was said in this open discussion gives impetus to deeply consider and implement new perspectives regarding music in our personal lives and in our communities. If you enjoyed reading this post, think about how much you would enjoy actually participating in our next Music in Color session on March 29th, 2021. Email yac@project440.org with any questions or comments about this post or how to register for our March event. On behalf of all of us at YAC, we hope to see you then!

This blog post was written by Youth Advocacy Council Member, Maria Karakousis. Maria is a high school junior attending J.R. Masterman in Philadelphia. She loves playing the piano and the harp (thanks to the incredible generosity of the Glissando Program of the Curtis Institute of Music Lyra Society) and immersing herself in classical music. She is very passionate about using the positive power of music to improve society, and is profoundly grateful for the opportunity to help empower other Philadelphia youth to do the same through the Project 440 Youth Advocacy Council. In between school, volunteering, practicing her instruments, her jobs (including teaching piano), and biomedical research, Maria enjoys going on runs along the Schuylkill River and spending time with her family.

Doing Good class of 2020 community projects

This past December, we celebrated the 2020 class of Doing Good! Doing Good is a 30-session intensive after-school entrepreneurial program that provides guidance to high school musicians who want to positively impact their communities. The unique curriculum challenges students to view their curiosity about the world as a window through which they can see the needs, gaps, and opportunities they are best equipped to address. Throughout the semester, students ideate, plan, and implement a community serve project under the guidance of Project 440 staff and teaching artists.

On graduation night, students presented their community service projects to the Project 440 family. Check our this year’s projects, as well as their founding members and mission statements, below. This has been a unique and challenging year for us all. We are so proud of the resilience and strength of each member of this graduating class!

String for Change

Nicolette Sullivan-Cozza, Justine Sullivan-Colla

Mission: SFC’s mission is to give lower income school students access to a music education by providing free music lessons and access to musical instruments.

Tonic K-5

Yeshua Irizarry, Trifena Tanisya, Ronnell Williams, Haley Joyner

Mission: K-5 students deserve to explore music through a cleaner lens. Tonic K-5 will do just that. We will hold meetings once a week with elementary students around the Philadelphia School District. In these meetings, we hope to spark a great interest in the music that these kids will soon be playing. We want the students to look at a piece and be able to understand what they’re playing and how they’re going to be playing it.

Arts for Adolescents

Arianna Baxley, Grace Hiu, Hajra Khan, Leandra Profitt, Mora-Lee Moore, Patrick Cannon, Jada Smith

Mission: Our goal is to give introductions to different forms of art (such as music, art, etc.) and show how they can be used as coping mechanisms for students who are in low-income schools in order to help the lack of mental health resources that are provided.

Art-Shark

Isaiah Muhammad, Kyle Boone, Patricia Harden, Ryan Williams, Tyler Davis, Xandro Xu

Mission: A place for independent artists to share their work and build off of each other.

Black Youth Empowered

Cierra Wright, Divine Epps, Jayla Jones, Leilani Padilla, Yohanna Heyer

Mission: Black Youth Empowered’s mission is to bring awareness around racial injustice and the lack of inclusivity that Black youth face. Over the past couple years the conversation around Black Lives Matter has consistently not reached certain groups, or has quickly lost its speed. We want to focus on engaging and educating nonblack youth and empowering Black youth through social media. We also want to use our connections within the classical music community to reach a generally older and more conservative group through music performance.

2020 Virtual College Fair for Musicians Goes Virtual With 400 Attendees

“What do you wish you knew about auditioning?” “Do you have any recommendations for someone looking to explore different subjects in college, both within and outside of music?” “Do you wish you had more time to relax?” These questions and so many more were answered at Project 440’s Annual College Fair for Musicians.

From November 10-12, 400 attendees came together to attend the Project 440 Virtual College Fair for Musicians. With over a dozen speakers and panelists and 67 exhibitors from across 26 states, attendees discussed college applications, majoring in music, professional development, and navigating the application process during a global pandemic. Sessions included Essay and Resume Writing, Audition Psychology, The HBCU Experience, a What I Wish I Knew panel, and an additional array of personal and professional development sessions.

During the Wednesday exhibitor session, students had the opportunity to speak with representatives from colleges and universities around the country and have their questions about applications, auditions, student life, and more, answered.

The keynote address featured Village of Arts and Humanities’ Director of Learning, and Project 440 Board member, Michael O’Bryan. In addition to his work and time with Project 440, O’Bryan is an Innovation Fellow at Drexel University’s Lindy Institute for Urban Development, sits on the boards of the Samuel S. Fels Fund and Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and is the founder of Humanature. He has served on faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music since 2019.

In addition to workshops and the exhibitor session, students had an opportunity to earn “points” toward prizes and enter giveaways — offering an incentive for students to stay engaged even in an online environment.

Students interested in the arts require special, industry-specific guidance on the college application and audition process — guidance that can be difficult to access even in the absence of a pandemic. Project 440 is thrilled to have been able to provide another year of engaging, informative workshops and meetings for students as they navigate the application process during the time of COVID-19.

Project 440 Completes Virtual Summer Camp in Partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic

In June 2020, Project 440 launched Project 440: Online, a virtual summer camp, in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA National (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles). We are thrilled to announce that the camp was a huge success and included nearly 100 students from 16 different states across the country. The camp was a huge success for all involved: students, parents, and teaching artists. Check out a few of these comments!

• “I really enjoyed the thoughtful discussions that I had with my TA and small group. Before starting this program, I was kind of going crazy with all of the current events… I found myself feeling powerless to make a change in communities consisting of BIPOC (Black & Indigenous People of Color). I finally feel like I have the tools in order to work towards making an impact within my community even if it takes years, I know I will do it.”
  - Student

• “They are learning so much each week, and are feeling very inspired about their future. They really enjoy their small group sessions because it's more one-on-one learning and it's easier to communicate… This is a great program for my kids and I would love for them to come back next year.  Thank you for giving them the opportunity to participate in this program.”
  - Parent

• “Project 440 should be a requirement for all high school and college music students. There is nothing more powerful than equipping young people with the skills to re-frame their strengths and passions to do good and give back to their community.”
  - Teaching Artist

Pictured: Teaching Artist, Hanul Park, leads her student group during their Friday breakout session, reviewing the topics discussed throughout the week.

As part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA At Home program, the Project 440 Team and program alumni hosted a session describing how our unique youth development curriculum uplifts and builds agency in the young people we serve. Claire Casanova, a Project 440 alumna, shared “Project 440 gave me a chance to use my own voice and talent—not just to entertain, but to help others.”

Throughout August, all donations up to our $10,000 goal will be matched by a generous donor and our Board of Directors. We need your support to continue making this positive and essential impact in young people’s lives. Click the button below to donate and click the video below to watch our full presentation on Project 440’s mission and programming.

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East Falls Now - Using Music to Train Entrepreneurs

by John T. Gillespie

Just as Chopin captivated 19th Century Paris salons with his virtuosity on the piano, so the young musicians of Project 440 captured the hearts and minds of Henry and Kathy Donner’s guests with Beethoven’s obeo trio.

But Beethoven, inspiring and critically performed as he was, was not the focus of a Sunday afternoon in April in the Donners’ living room on Apologen Rd. Music, the discipline with the power to inspire and train men and women for productive lives, was.

Project 440 stands for 440 Hz, or middle A on the musical scale, the note musicians use to tune their instruments. In this case it could also stand for music’s importance in life.

Joseph Conyers, bass for the Philadelphia Orchestra and founder and executive director of Project 440, says the program treats music as a means, not an end, to a successful life. “Project 440,” he says, “fosters musicians’ passion and helps them build skills to amplify their future success.”

With students drawn from the city’s leading public high schools—Masterman, Centra, Girard, Northeast High, the High School for the Create and Performing Arts, Benjamin Rush and the All City Orchestra—the project has a ready pooled potential members.

The project offers two after-school options. Doing Good teaches young people the ins and outs of social entrepreneurship, leaderships, and community service. Instruments for Success focuses on college and career preparedness—all through the lens of music.

Claire, a Project 440 student, said that “Participating in Project 440’s Doing Good allows me to do just that: good. Being part of this organization also has allowed me to learn new entrepreneurship skills and meet new people with a similar goal. The things I was able to learn in this class will stick with me throughout my future endeavors.”

The Donners have become cultural mavens in the neighborhood. They hosted a recent musicale at Germantown Friends School and invited City Councilman and realtor Allan Domb to their home for a political tutorial on taxes and city government.

Henry Donner is a member of the board of Project 440 and a fervent admirer of the organization and its founder.

“Anyone who has met the Orchestra’s Joseph Conyers recognizes he is a force of nature—bright, articulate, thoughtful, engaging, an accomplished classical musician with impactful social purpose realized in a non-for-profit organization he created.

“Project 440, through its two flagship programs, Doing Good and Instruments for Success, teaches high school students from across Philadelphia about social entrepreneurship, community service, and college and career preparedness—all through the lens of music.”

Click here to view the full June edition!

Transcribed from East Falls Now, John T. Gillespie.

Project 440 Teams Up with The Mann Center, School District of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Project 440, The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, School of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Orchestra are teaming up to host a free program for the students of Philadelphia. This is a summer experience built to serve rising 8th grade through 12th grade instrumental students in the School District of Philadelphia.

All City Orchestra Summer Academy (ACOSA) will help extend the All City Orchestra program into the summer months, giving the opportunity for students to enjoy a high-quality music learning experience close to home.

The two-week program will be held from July 15 to 26 at the Mann Center, which is the same time the Philadelphia Orchestra will be in residence for concerts at the Fairmount Park amphitheater.

Project 440 will be providing enrichment support to the program in conjunction with the students' musical learning experience. This includes life skills, college and career prep, and mind and body classes for the students to take their learning throughout their lives and careers.

Project 440 will hold sessions in Mindfulness and Movement, Smart Practice Tools, Community Engagement and Interactive Performance, and Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Susanna Loewy, Project 440 Program Director, added “All of these sessions will be led by Project 440 Teaching Artists. We believe that music should be used as a tool to help students gain and apply important 21st century skill sets that will help them during their careers.”

Joseph Conyers, Project 440 Executive Director and All City Orchestra music director, explained that the goal of ACOSA is not to create more professional musicians. “Our goal is to use music as the tool with which to teach important life skills that are transferable into any industry they wish to pursue - literally using music as an instrument for success,” he said. He continued by saying “If students do, however, want to pursue music, not only will we be able to identify and connect them with a local artistic partner through ACOSA, but those students will have the entrepreneurial mindset to become successful at their craft.”

We are excited to be working with such great partners on a project designed to help the young people of Philadelphia grow and develop. You can read more about ACOSA in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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YAC's "Young Person's Night at the Orchestra" Welcomes Record Number of Youth

Project 440's Youth Advisory Council (YAC), in collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, filled the room with over 50 youth from 25 different schools in the Philadelphia area at their second pre-concert mixer event for high school students interested in classical music. 

15 Philadelphia Orchestra musicians stopped by to mingle with the students over sweets and beverages, half of whom had never attended a Philadelphia Orchestra Concert before. 

The soloist for the evening, Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Viola C.J. Chang, also made an appearance to talk to students. We are blown away by YAC's reach and ability to engage peers who may not otherwise attend a concert. Keep up the great work!

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Introducing the Youth Advisory Council's new members!

We are very happy to present the new Youth Advisory Council (YAC) members! YAC is a program that uses peer to peer influence to ensure student voices are included in the development of our programs and encourage students to further develop their leadership skills.

YAC includes alumni of Project 440 programs, the School District of Philadelphia, and other young leaders from throughout the region with a passion for music education. This group meets monthly and receives training aimed at developing their leadership skills.

Dotan Yarden, President of YAC, explained “We bring in professionals to present about topics such as event planning, budget, advocacy, and board governance. Many of these skills will benefit us in the years to come as we take on various roles as artists and entrepreneurs.”

The addition of YAC helps us to connect with new students and continue directly working with alumni of our previous programs. By teaching and working together with these students, we can help them continue to grow into their full potential. Yarden added “Real-time student feedback enables Project 440 to continuously evolve to best serve the needs of its students.” By listening and working with these young leaders, we will be able to continue growing and offering the best opportunities, skills and tools that current and future students need to succeed.

Click here for a list of all the new members of the Youth Advisory Council!

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Connecting Students with Opportunity at the 2018 College Fair for Musicians

By Kei Fukuda

College Fair attendees listening to announcements from the stage. Photo Credit: Chloe Cooper

Not unlike any big event, months of preparation, organization (spear-headed by no one other than Sam Apgar), and sweat went into putting on our annual College Fair for Musicians, and it was a smashing success, thanks to a team effort from our staff, interns, and volunteers. We could not have been happier with the results—a turn out of over 300 attendees, representatives from 45 colleges, universities, and conservatories from around the country, and press coverage from all local major news stations. You can read more about our Fair in this Inquirer article.

The day before the Fair, Sam, Joseph, Susanna, Andy (our intern), and Youth Advisory Council members stuffed over 400 bags with Project 440 swag, brochures, and programs for our attendees. What could have been a mundane event was actually a nice bonding activity. Agnes, one of our YAC volunteers, was gracious enough to spend her birthday helping Project 440 so there were cupcakes and pizza. Upon the students discovering that Joe had never seen Shrek, Marquise promptly pulled up the movie on the screen, providing background entertainment for the afternoon.

Swag stuffing party! Photo Credit: Samantha Apgar

Clark Connor leads a workshop on recording yourself for auditions. Photo Credit: Rick Urbanowski

The day of the College Fair started bright and early for Team Project 440 with a 7am arrival at the Kimmel Center.  It was all worth it as our college registration, attendee registration, and set up for the 6 workshops on college admissions topics went smoothly.  The morning sessions included An Overview of College Prep, College Audition Prep, and Leadership and Entrepreneurship in Music. The afternoon sessions were on Scholarships and Financial Aid, College Essay Writing, and Tips on Recording Yourself for Auditions. Students seemed to find the Audition workshops to be the most helpful in addressing anxieties about this part of the application process.

Councilman David Oh presenting Joseph Conyers with Citation from the City Council. Photo Credit: Ed Hille

City Councilman David Oh made an appearance close to lunchtime to present Joseph with a citation recognizing the important work Project 440 is doing for the Philadelphia community. “Whereas, the College Fair for Musicians is an extraordinary opportunity that helps young musicians to connect to advanced education resources and be more effective in the realm of music and society by providing them with much needed leadership and talents that will strengthen our Music Community, our City, and our Country.” While what drives Joseph and Team Project 440 to work tirelessly towards putting on an event like the College Fair for Musicians comes from our deep desire to “do good,” it is nice to have some public recognition. We were truly happy that Joseph received this honor during the Fair.

Juilliard representative speaking to College Fair attendee. Photo Credit: Rick Urbanowski

The feedback we’ve been receiving from the attendee’s post-College Fair surveys has been overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees felt that they were “exposed to many more options for colleges,” “more open to different types of programs in college,” and “were considering different career paths in music.” Attendees were impressed with the diversity and the number of colleges that were present at the Fair and found that the college representatives were “welcoming in their ability to answer any question no matter how vague or specific,” “ informative and approachable,” and “knew what kind of student the school generally attracts.”

Cigus “The College Fairy” Vanni presenting a workshop on An Overview of College Prep. Photo Credit: Ed Hille

Cigus, the College Fairy, who teaches Instruments for Success and led the Overview of College Prep workshops says: "How great is it when forty-five of the colleges and conservatories with the most high-quality music programs in the country come to YOUR venue for YOU?  That's what a college fair is--and it provides each student with the opportunity to interact personally with school representatives that can answer questions, address concerns and provide insight and nuance.  Finding the right "fit" between student and program is critical--and what a great opportunity the college fair provides!"

Winner of the Sixers tickets in the raffle at the end of the day. Photo Credit: Rick Urbanowski

The day concluded with a raffle drawing for attendees who attended 3 or more workshops offered throughout the day. Through in-kind sponsorships, we were able to give away a Wawa gift basket, gift cards to Cheesecake Factory, Chipotle, Amazon, and South, concert tickets to Philly POPs, Kimmel Center, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and perhaps most excitingly, Sixers tickets donated to us by Board member, Jonathan Fink. The look on the winner’s face just says it all— hopefully he left the Fair with a lot of great information on college admissions, but he may have been most happy to leave with those Sixers tickets in hand :)

*Many many thanks are in order to all of our in-kind sponsors; all of our raffle items were donations from Board members Mary Javian, Blake Espy, Jon Fink, plus all of the organizations named above; the print job of our beautiful programs were donated to us by Media Copy; our day was captured by the talents of Ed Hille, Rick Urbanowski, and our very own Chloe Cooper; lunchtime entertainment was provided by the Dan McCain Quartet; Fox & Hound offered us coupons for attendee swag bags; Frederick Oster Fine Violins and Stephanie M. Schwartzberg Esq. were fiscal sponsors. And of course thank you to our volunteer team-- YAC members, Thomas Meany, and Teresa Montano.

Photo Credit: Chloe Cooper

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