The Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club (BiscayneBayKiwanis.org), one of South Florida’s most active community service organizations, recently donated $1,000 to the South Florida Youth Symphony (SFYS), helping the talented young musicians in their quest to attend the prestigious Heritage Music Festival, as well as the presidential inauguration, in Washington, DC.
Presented during the Youth Symphony’s yearend concert at Florida Memorial University, the donation — the largest single donation in the Youth Symphony’s fund raising effort — will enable 24 of the musicians to travel to the nation’s capital.
“This was just a fantastic donation,” said Marjorie Hahn, the Youth Symphony’s musical and executive director. “We’ve been involved with the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis for a few years and they have enabled us to spread our wings in the community. These kids will be able to not only play at one of the nation’s most prestigious music festivals but they’ll be able to attend a presidential inauguration, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you, Kiwanis”
The Youth Symphony has played at the Kiwanis’ fundraising gala the last three years and the club has sponsored the organization’s free Halloween concert in Overtown the past two years.
“I was really impressed with the talent displayed during this year’s Spooky Tunes concert, particularly with the interaction between the musicians and the kids during the pre-concert ‘meet and greet’ session,” said club board member Mark Scheinbaum, who first suggested the donation. “I thought we should help the Youth Symphony, which has never turned down a student because of financial problems, reach their goal and get to Washington. They deserve this great honor.”
The Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club is an all-volunteer organization of professional men and women based in downtown Miami dedicated to improving the lives — and brightening the futures — of disadvantaged children in Overtown, Allapattah and Midtown Miami.
Some of the club’s noteworthy ongoing service projects include: reading with elementary school students; providing a fully paid college scholarship to a deserving high school senior; distributing school uniforms, supplies and backpacks to children in need; providing guided tours of the Everglades and field trips to local attractions, museums and sporting events for children in shelters and public housing; feeding the homeless, and providing three months of free summer swim lessons at Gibson Park.
Over the past six years, the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club has awarded nearly $150,000 in scholarships throughout Miami-Dade County.
For more information on the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis or upcoming service projects, send email to Biscaynebaykiwanis@gmail.com or phone/text 305-814-2225.
