Nearly 300 inner-city youths and their families enjoyed a free Halloween concert performed by the South Florida Youth Symphony (SFYS), one of the nation’s premier youth music organizations, at the historic Lyric Theater in Overtown.
Presented by the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club and Shutts & Bowen , the “Spooky Tunes” concert featured SFYS performers attired in Halloween costumes playing a variety of popular and classical songs. It is the second year that the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis, one of South Florida’s most active community service organizations, and Shutts & Bowen have teamed to present the concert.
“Concerts such as this expose these youngsters — some for the very first time — to classical music,” said Nellie Hernandez, president of the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis. “We hope to expand their horizons and show them possibilities. Perhaps, because of this exposure, a child decides to take up a musical instrument.”
Students from five different inner-city elementary schools — Frederick Douglass, Phillis Wheatly, Eneida Hartner, Morningside and Gibson Charter School — attended the concert and had the opportunity to meet the performers and learn about their instruments in a pre-concert “Meet and Greet.”
The City of Miami Police Department joined this year’s Halloween concert by handing out “goodie bags” to kids following the event.
Since 1950, the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis Club (BBKC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, has fostered leadership and provided artistic, cultural and science-centered educational opportunities for children primarily in the underserved areas of Allapattah, Overtown, Little Havana and Downtown Miami.
The club’s very successful programs include an in-school reading program to help second graders pass the EOY (End of Year) Exam, funding of summer swim lessons, lessons in etiquette, civics, and life skills, and a variety of educational field trips. The organization also mentors high school Key Clubs teaching leadership through service at Miami Springs, Miami Jackson, Booker T. Washington, Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and iPrep Academy.
During the past six years the BBKC has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships throughout Miami-Dade County, including a full college scholarship to a deserving Booker T. Washington senior each year.
