For the past seven years, the Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary club has been raising funds to support their own "Community Grant for Children, Youth and Families of DeKalb County" (or "CYF Grant") as an effort to make a local impact on people who could use a hand up. They primarily raise funds by hosting the annual "Taste of DeKalb" food truck and family entertainment event at the end of September. Their goal is to raise and then award $10,000 each year to a local non-profit organization (or organizations) that will use the money to fund a project that directly impacts children, youth and/or families.
This year, the club awarded a $6,000 grant to the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra to support their program which collects, refurbishments and then gives musical instruments to children in the area. This project aims to decrease the financial barriers to engaging with music education and ensemble participation in DeKalb County public schools. For many low income families, the costs of renting a quality instrument pose a major challenge. Because the KSO’s mission is “to engage, educate, and enrich the community through music,” they seek to ensure that all students interested in music have a chance to learn an instrument of their choice. By working to support and uplift young musicians, they help them find new passions and engage in a music community that can extend from their school to the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra – as many of the KSO's musicians come from DeKalb High School and Sycamore High School – and beyond to their participation in other regional musical ensembles and to a lifelong appreciation of music.
The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club is proud to help the KSO make a difference in the lives of children in DeKalb County!