This past weekend two-time GRAMMY© Award winner and multi-platinum selling recording artist Lauren Daigle celebrated a long-awaited return to her hometown by giving $375,000 to five New Orleans organizations close to her heart. The non-profits, KidSmart, NOCCA, Ellis Marsalis Center, Roots Music, and Young Audiences of Louisiana, all work to provide at-risk youth with resources to succeed through music/art education, food support, and literacy.
“Thanks to everyone’s generosity, through The Price Fund we were able to give back to New Orleans in a way that will truly make an impact,” says Daigle. “All these organizations are doing so much for the community and it’s an honor to be able to help in any way possible. Knowing that the next generation of kids are able to find hope through these programs puts wind in my sails.”
Through its partnerships and outreach The Price Fund, established by Daigle in 2019, is designed to provide care for both children and the elderly as well as those in need. She is committed to investing her time and actively works to heal through various means, including work with at-risk youth. Through donations made via ticket sales alone, Daigle has donated over $1 million to various charities to date and continues to raise funds through merch and streaming.
Recipients of the Price Fund include KidSmart, which partners with K-8 public schools to embed professional teaching artists in classrooms. They also provide afterschool and community-based programs which aim to increase art education throughout New Orleans. The donation made will aid in the expansion of their Literacy NOLA Program which works to improve student literacy, social/emotional skills, and teacher/teaching artist efficacy and engagement.
Founded in 1973, NOCCA is a regional, pre-professional arts training center that offers students intensive instruction in culinary arts, dance, media arts: filmmaking & audio production, music (classical, jazz, vocal), theatre arts (drama, musical theatre, theatre design), visual arts, and creative writing. NOCCA’s mission is to provide a world-class, pre-professional arts education for every young person in Louisiana with the curiosity, creativity, talent and motivation to pursue a life in the arts and realize the best possible versions of themselves and their futures. $50, 000 will go toward their Student Success Program, which supports students’ cost of learning at NOCCA. The remaining $25,000 goes towards Emergency Food Support which provides $25 grocery store cards to students on a need basis and will also provide 17 families who are experiences food insecurity after Hurricane Ida with $200 grocery cards per month for two months.
Ellis Marsalis Center for Music at Musicians’ Village serves to broaden opportunities for underserved children, youth, and musicians by providing a safe, positive environment to develop musically, academically, and socially. They also provide resources to aid in the professional growth and offer opportunities for musicians throughout New Orleans. The $75,000 will help retain and grow their student population and meet the needs of more students. It will also provide additional wraparound support services to address the needs of their student population.
The Roots of Music marching band empowers the youth of New Orleans through music education, academic support, and mentorship while preserving and promoting the unique musical and cultural heritage of the city. Their program provides music history and theory as well as instrumental instruction and ensemble performance preparation to kids ages 9-14 from low-income households and provide students with hot meals and round-trip transportation to reduce common barriers to participation. Over the course of a year The Roots of Music program provides over 2,500 hours of music education and other academic tutoring, over 30,400 nutritious hot meals, 1,400 bus journeys, and supplies over 150 instruments for student use. This donation will be focused on recovery from Hurricane Ida which left their building covered in mold.
Young Audiences of Louisiana was founded in 1962 to bring chamber musicians into local classrooms. They are part of a national network of 32 affiliates throughout the country under Young Audiences Arts for Learning. As the nation’s first and largest arts-in-education network Young Audiences Arts for Learning ensures the highest standards in arts education programs for over 5 million schoolchildren annually. This donation will go directly to their Wolf Trap program which serves learners birth-6 years old through music and movement. It will be able to provide about 50 classrooms with artist training, supplies, and cover artist fees.
For more information about The Price Fund visit: http://thepricefund.org/
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