California

For the tenth state on my journey of giving, I visited two different organizations based in Los Angeles, CA.  The theme for this day centered around the word "opportunity"...

DSTL Arts

The Arts Empowerment Project connected me to DSTL Arts (pronounced like "distill", and it stands for "develop skills, transcend limits") through Twitter.  I had already made contact with another organization in CA whom I was going to visit (you will see that below), but after reading about DSTL Arts I knew I wanted to do something with them too.  Everything then just came together perfectly and I was able to add this little sojourn to my trip :-)

On Tuesday I visited DSTL Arts and there I met Luis and Ana.  Luis is the founder and Executive Director of DSTL Arts while Ana is one of his mentees.  DSTL Arts mentors young artists (at-risk youth ages 16–21 years old) to give them the opportunity to be working artists.  Think about how simple yet powerful that premise is of nurturing talent and entrepreneurship for those that would not likely have such a chance.  When the right conditions and circumstances exist, not only do the individuals benefit but then so do the communities in which they live and work.  We as a society need more talented and wonderful people like Luis who have a vision of changing the way we think about education and the arts!

Normally I make an in-kind donation as part of my journey of giving.  As I browsed through the DSTL Arts site I came across their shop where students have the opportunity to sell their work.  One of the pieces of work that caught my eye is called El Festival and this was done by Ana.  That then gave me an idea which at first I was not even sure DSTL Arts would accept.  I asked Luis if I could commission Ana to create an original work of art for me.  They both agreed and here is a picture of Ana and her work of art she created based on the idea of 37 people can't be wrong.  Needless to say, I was at a loss for words when this was presented to me (Ana - I may have struggled to say much when you gave this to me but please do know how truly happy it made me feel, and how much I love and treasure what you created for me!).

Also here is a great video of Ana explaining DSTL Arts.

Everybody Deserves Music

Later that Tuesday afternoon I stopped by the Los Angeles Leadership Academy Middle School.  This charter school does not offer any music classes for its students.  This is where the aptly named Everybody Deserves Music works to give these kids the opportunity to learn music.  Everybody Deserves Music is there after school every single day to ensure that at least some of these students, kids who express an interest in learning music, are given that chance.

If you have been reading my blog and the other places I have visited on my journey of giving, I am typically quite positive and upbeat about the people and organizations I have met.  Before I arrived at this school, I assumed that Everybody Deserves Music acted as a compliment to an existing school music program (like some of the other music programs I have visited).  I only learned while I was there that this school does not have any music program or music teachers.  That saddened me.  It also saddened me to learn that Everybody Deserves Music receives little in the form of grants and that most donations come from individual donors (or the program volunteers donate their own instruments).  In fact the way I found Everybody Deserves Music was through their Amazon.com wish list.

Despite all of this, Everybody Deserves Music heroically does what it can with what it has.  Resources may be limited but they certainly make the most of what they have.  And it is not just about music instruction.  They also offer tutoring for students who need a little extra help.  So just when you think a few instruments, a few dedicated volunteers, and probably the smallest music room I have ever seen cannot go very far to make a difference, you would be sadly mistaken to underestimate Everybody Deserves Music :-)

In terms of my donation, I was able to provide an electric guitar (and from what I hear, a very popular instrument amongst the kids) which also helped support the Traveling Guitar Foundation (thank you TGF for sending this guitar to Everybody Deserves Music!).