GladSong will do a concert benefiting education foundation July 12
I’m always encouraged to see the good folks at GladSong continuing their tradition of benefit concerts across North Central Washington.
The inspirational singing group will perform on Sunday, July 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Columbia Grove Covenant Church. The concert will benefit the North Central Education Foundation, and admission is by donation.
I’m a fan of the work NCEF does. Last year alone, the foundation awarded $68,000 in grants to 248 teachers across North Central Washington. NCEF is the philanthropic arm of the North Central Educational Service District.
Much of the credit goes to Eldene Wall, the longtime administrative assistant to ESD superintendents. Even after retiring, Eldene has continued to oversee the teacher grant program. Teachers apply for grants of up to $300, and the foundation’s board reviews the applications and selects the projects to fund.
The program recognizes a simple reality: many teachers routinely reach into their own pockets to create enriching learning experiences for their students. Community support helps ease that burden and allows more deserving teachers to bring creative ideas into their classrooms.
I get to see the impact of these grants every year. My parents, Wilfred and Kathleen, established a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Washington to support music and arts education in our region. For the past decade, that fund has helped provide music and arts grants through NCEF.
One grant helped make possible the Cascade School District Glow Show, a remarkable music and art extravaganza created by art teacher Amber Zimmerman and music teacher Angie Bates. The project gave students an unforgettable opportunity to combine creativity, performance and collaboration in a way that simply wouldn’t have happened without community support.
The July 12 GladSong concert will help fund another round of teacher grants to be awarded this fall. The group also has two more benefit concerts scheduled: Aug. 30 in support of Cancer Care at Circle 5 Winery and Oct. 4 benefiting the Leavenworth Backpackers at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts.
My understanding is that GladSong has raised more than $100,000 for North Central Washington nonprofits through these concerts. That’s an impressive legacy.
There are countless ways to strengthen a community. Supporting teachers, caring for neighbors facing cancer and helping ensure children have enough to eat are among the very best. GladSong has found a way to do all three through the simple gift of music—and that’s something worth celebrating.
If you are unable to attend the GladSong concert on July 12, but would like to know more about NCEF and support area teachers and their students, you may donate at loveteachers.org.
