LAKE WORTH, Fla. — A local musician is channeling his passion into supporting education, organizing the third annual Music and Arts for Change fundraiser to directly fund music and arts programs in Lake Worth Beach schools.
Inside Highland Elementary School, fifth-grader Analyse Garcia Moreno keeps the beat with music teacher Emanuel Fragil, focusing on "the rhythm, the pitch, how fast it's going."
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"Through the repetition, the music, and the rehearsals, they build confidence," Fragil said.
That confidence is being reinforced through Music and Arts for Change. Working with the non-profit Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, the goal is to make sure kids in Lake Worth Beach have access to music equipment and other after-school enrichment.
"Buying snacks for the kids when we go on field trips, paying for extra stuff that we may need, paying for instruments," Fragil said.
Singer and songwriter Jutt Huffman is the heart behind the fundraiser.
"Our reach in the community is definitely expanding and it's a beautiful thing to see and be a part of it," Huffman said.
An all-volunteer team raised $30,000 last year, which was spread throughout six Palm Beach County schools.
"Everything that we raise goes back to the kids 100 percent of it," Huffman said.
The program supports kids like Naida Aysha Lormejuste and Kandy Tiu Velasquez, who are busy creating art with markers in hand.
"It makes me feel calm and I express my feelings when I draw," Kandy said.
"I like drawing and painting and I also like making stuff," Naida said.
Rebecca Hinson is their art teacher at South Grade Elementary School.
"I'm very grateful to music and arts for change, they have given us the opportunity to do lots of projects we could not have done in the past," Hinson said.
The program is setting up these kids for success in the future.
"If it takes a village to raise a child, certainly music and arts for change have done their part," Hinson said.
"You're helping a community that really needs it," Fragil said.
The third annual Music & Arts for Change fundraiser takes place Thursday night at Rudy's Bamboo Room in Lake Worth Beach from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will feature live music, silent auctions, raffles and entertainment, all for a great cause.
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