As 14 year-old Samira takes the stage at World Café Live in front of hundreds of her friends, family and even strangers, she smiles from ear to ear. She has come a long way from the shy, self-conscious student that walked into the doors of Rock to the Future’s MusiCore after school program in 2010. She picks up her guitar and begins strumming the opening chords of an original song she has written. She steps up to the mic and sings – “I’m OK, I’m alright, I won’t give up the fight…”
Like many youth growing up in North Philadelphia, Samira’s family can’t afford to provide music lessons and, due to massive budget cuts, music programs have been cut from many Philadelphia schools.
Since we opened our doors three years ago, Rock to the Future’s free music programs have helped hundreds of at-risk youth like Samira. At Rock to the Future 100% of our students are from lower-income households and most come from neighborhoods where 60% of students don’t make it to high school graduation.
The good news is: WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
This past year at Rock to the Future:
- 100% of 8th grade students in our MusiCore after school program were accepted into the best Philadelphia high schools
- 88% of the students maintained or improved their grades to an A or B average
- We have expanded our programming reach to over 300 additional youth this year by introducing new Saturday music workshops, a summer camp and MobileMusic workshops in Philadelphia schools.
And that was just last year, just imagine what we have in store for the years ahead!
That’s where you come in. As the need for free music education programs like ours grows in Philadelphia, Rock to the Future needs supporters like you to help us reach even more youth like Samira. We all know and believe in the power of music to motivate, heal and inspire. With your financial pledge, you can give the gift of music to help change a child’s life forever.
Any amount – big or small – will help us make a bigger impact for the kids we serve.
At Rock to the Future we know that your donation is more than a contribution – it’s an investment in our city’s most underserved youth to help them find creative solutions for a brighter future!
You ROCK!