The Monterey County Chapter of Guitars not Guns is growing.
In 2012 we held fifteen 8-week classes throughout Monterey County and donated
128 guitars.
Thank you to the twenty volunteer guitar instructors that
donated their time to make it happen.
Classes were held at the Boys and Girls Club in Seaside; at Marina High
School; at the Marina Youth Center; Harden Middle School in Salinas; the
Salvation Army in Salinas; Fairview Middle School in Gonzales; North County
High School in Castroville and at the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in Salinas
through their Silver Star Program and the Drummond Culinary Academy. Classes are in the works for 2013 and we plan
to start up in 3 more South County communities – Chualar, Soledad and King
City.
The
goal of Guitars Not Guns is to help prevent violence in schools and on the
streets by providing foster kids and at-risk youth with focus and
self-actualization. We aim to empower them with the most fundamental tool to
succeed: Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything.
Using
music as a catalyst we encourage children and teens to use their creativity to
foster personal development and to help divert them from self-destructive
influences such as drugs, alcohol and gang-related activities. By providing
free guitars and lessons we hope to engage their creative potential and help
them achieve their dreams.
Our
programs are for children and teens ages 8 - 18 using low teacher-to-student
ratios. Each class consists of a maximum of 10 students with three adult
instructors. In addition to learning how to master changing from one chord to
another, children learn perseverance, discipline and self-esteem. More
importantly, the kids learn to enjoy the interaction and have fun in a group
setting. Those who complete the full 8 week program are allowed to keep the
guitar and are encouraged to return for Level 2.
Thank you to also to all of our sponsors and
contributors. We are a completely
volunteer organization with no administrative overhead. Our only costs are for guitars, guitar bags,
instructional manuals, graduation certificates and a ceremony for the graduates
at the end of their 8-week class.
This year we were awarded a $5,000 grant from the Monterey
Peninsula Foundation and we once again received a donation from the city of
Sand City from their annual West End Celebration.
As we continue to grow we are in need of additional volunteer
instructors as well as administrators. Contact slvmanagement@yahoo.com if you
are interested.
Please feel free to make a donation to the Monterey County
Chapter of Guitars not Guns. Send
contributions to Guitars not Guns c/o SLV Management @ PO BOX 101 Monterey, CA
93942
Guitars Not
Guns is a federally exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donations are tax deductible.
Steve Vagnini
President
