Michael Kelton here, and today I wanted to talk a little more in depth about our non-profit partner, Kids In a New Groove.
In a nutshell, Kids In a New Groove (or KING for short) provides central Texas kids in foster care with a one-on-one mentoring relationship through free, weekly, private music lessons.
Why is this important?
Children in the foster care system are a highly vulnerable and underserved population. A child in foster care is moved, on average, SIX times while in the system. This means a new home, new foster parents, new school, etc.
KING mentors and their students build a lasting relationship that stays with them through these transitions, providing support, which helps them succeed academically, emotionally, and socially.
Speaking of academics, over the past five years:
100% of eligible KING seniors graduated high school.
That’s pretty amazing, considering the national average for students in foster care is only 47%!
KING mentors are 100% volunteers, each committing a minimum of one year’s worth of weekly, half hour music lessons. This translates to 25 hours of free, private music lessons and mentorship per year for each student, in the instrument of their choosing.
BTW if you’re interested in becoming a KING mentor, there’s a link to their website below. We’ve heard some powerful stories from KING mentors, all of which say they feel like they get just as much out of the relationship as their students. The feeling of having that sort of positive impact on someone else’s life can be pretty amazing.
KING has been around, operating in its current model since 2009 and has since then, served over 700 students.
In addition to the weekly music lessons, KING puts on a number of special events including summer workshops for the students, quarterly concerts for donors, and more.
Michaela and I got to attend the KING
Concert Club event back in February, and it was so cool to see people rally around this great organization. This particular event featured performances from a few KING students, music from The Peterson Brothers, and took place at The Parish on 6th Street in Austin.
Although the next Concert Club event will be taking place virtually, we're just as excited to "attend" and will be making some exciting announcements on the days leading up to it!
There’s a link below to KING’s website where you can learn more, get in touch, sign up to become a mentor, enroll a new student, or join their newsletter to stay informed. I hope you’ll check it out. Thanks for reading!
www.kidsinanewgroove.org