WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – For more than a decade now, a council made up of students has been involved with giving back to the community. It’s the Youth Philanthropy Council of the Northern New York Community Foundation and members recently awarded $20,000 to seven different nonprofit organizations.
One of those groups is HarmoNNY Performing Arts Community, an organization focused on enhancing performing arts in the tri-county region.
For HarmoNNY president Joseph Foy, music has been part of his life since he was 14 years old.
“It is great for your mental health. It is just a great thing to be able to do,” said Foy.
Lending out instruments and equipment is something the group has been doing for two years now. Foy says this creates accessibility for students or anyone who needs an instrument. He says new instruments can range from $1,000 to $10,000.
“Being able to get these instruments and having it accessible, and then being able to do music in their lives whether or not they do it professionally it doesn’t matter, it’s being able to have music in your life,” said Foy.
The group will continue to hit the right notes thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Youth Philanthropy Council.
“We have always really wanted to give to the arts more than we have in the past, and we are really happy that HarmoNNY submitted a grant request, and a lot of us have a lot of arts and music background, and we just fell in love with the organization and the application,” said Owen Newton, Youth Philanthropy Council vice chair.
“We have lots of different groups that help us, you know, make grant-making decisions, and the youth are an important part of the community, and so having them at the table learning about nonprofits, learning about the community that they live in, learning leadership skills,” said Kraig Everard, stewardship and programs director for NNYCF.
The $3,000 will help HarmoNNY buy instruments to lend to the community.
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