AMERICA
SINGS!
To Kids Who Feel They Have No
Hope...From Kids With Hope To Share
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"To Kids Who Feel They Have No Hope, From Kids With Hope To Share" At every America Sings! event, participants (young
singers, dancers & musicians) The participants also make "Kits for Kids" on site. These are special decorated shoe-box-sized boxes full of school supplies, toys and other items which we give to area charities assisting at-risk and underprivileged children.
Since 1989, more than 72,000 pounds of goods (canned food, toys, clothing, etc.) have been donated to children's charities from the America Sings! festivals! Thanks to the participants in America Sings! events, more than 120,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been given food banks and shelters feeding the homeless. Over $130,000 has been donated to various children's charities through the America Sings! Share the Hope Fund!! But it's
not just at the events America Sings! Inc. is dedicated to encouraging young artists to use their time and talents to help others. Prior to coming to a festival, participating choruses do service projects in their own hometowns, projects designed to help other children. And service to others does not need to be a "chore." Members of school and community choirs across the country are constantly coming up with creative, fun ways to help needy, at-risk and underprivileged children in their own hometowns. Here are just a few ideas for ways your
choir can get into the America Sings! spirit of service and giving. Share these ideas with your choir and encourage them to
choose one or to design their own project. Community
Service Project Ideas •
Sponsor a "Sock Hop," a school dance where you charge a pair of
children's socks as admission to the event. •
Collect canned food, books, mittens, a new toy, or other items as
admission to one of your choir's concerts.
Tell your audience about your efforts and encourage them to become
involved. •
Initiate a drive in your community to encourage families and businesses
to collect the small soaps, shampoos and other toiletries distributed at hotels.
Plan a date for your choir to stay after rehearsal to assemble
"welcome packages" for families entering homeless shelters. •
Set a policy of collecting "late fees" of $.25 for choir
members who arrive late for rehearsal, need to leave early, etc.
Collect fees and contribute them to a local charity or donate them to the
America Sings! Share the Hope Fund. •
Collect musical cassettes, compact discs, and videos to donate to a day
care center or after-school program that serves disadvantaged children.
Visit the program with your choir to sing with the children there. •
Challenge other groups (the Band, Honor Society, Basketball Team, etc.)
to see which organization can collect the most canned food in a week.
Donate to a food bank. •
Place collection cans on the desks of teachers in your school.
Students can make contributions to the teacher they would most like to
see sing a solo at the next school concert or assembly.
The teacher with the most money in his or her collection can will need to
sing that solo! •
Perform regularly at a nursing home, shelter, or day care center.
Have sing-a-longs! Teach
them a song! Stay to talk or help
with other activities. •
Volunteer to be the special entertainment for a charitable cause in your
community or for a charity's special event.
Or donate the admission funds from one of your concerts to the charity. • When you raise funds for your program or your choir trip, commit extra funds or a percentage of funds raised as a donation for disadvantaged children. • Write letters to your State legislators, your Representative, Senators and the President to let them know of your concern for families who are homeless or for disadvantaged children. CLICK
HERE CLICK HERE If you want to
learn about how to earn grants for youth service projects... look
below! Or Or Or To find out more about how your choir can help in your community, check out these links... THE
FOUNDATION CENTER'S
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do hands-on service projects right at the
event site. They make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for food banks, collect
and sort canned goods, toys, clothing, toiletries, food, blankets, books, school
supplies and other items donated BY THE PARTICIPANTS, and we send them off to
local charities assisting needy children. 
Participants can also donate money to the "Share the
Hope Fund," a special fund set up by America Sings! which goes directly to
local and national charitable organizations dedicated to helping needy children. 
