Ukulele Girl and The Ripple Effect From One Act of Kindness

Corey Bergman of The Ukulele Kids Club shared this very personal email that came through "contact" on their website. It brought tears to his eyes the first time he read it, but the next five times he smiled because this is what UKC dreams about. 

Subject: Girl Scout Silver Award!
Message: 
Hello! I'm ......and I am fourteen. When I was twelve, I got myself into serious trouble and ended up compressing L1 through L5 and fracturing S4. Along with that I had a left rooted hematoma and was stuck in the ICU for about a week. While there a lady asked me what my interests were and I told her I'm a musician and my goal is to go on to play the ukulele. She came back with a box. You guys have donated me my own ukulele. It wasn't just an ordinary ukulele, though. It's a life-changer. Without this guy I wouldn't have had such a successful recovery and would not go on to know a group of people that I trust enough to call my friends. I bring my ukulele everywhere with me and as a Girl Scout I wanted to give back. Right now I have a Girl Scout Silver Award and I was wondering if now can be the time I help to change other kids lives. What I wanted to do was pre-record lessons and tips for kids who were going through the same trouble as I did. To spread my help around I was wondering if we can some how connect us two to help teach the kids the ukulele. If there is anyway I can meet up with you to talk about it or even just keep emailing back-and-forth or even just simple phones. Please contact me.

Thank you so much,
.....(or as my school calls me, ukulele girl)

Wonderful and a powerful demonstration of how one act of kindness can create a powerful ripple effect. How many people will "Ukulele Girl" impact and who, in turn, will they impact?

Remember, it takes only about $40 to give the gift of music for life by putting a uke into the hands of a child in-need who is undergoing a serious medical situation. Learn more about The Ukulele Kids Club and make your donation here.

Hawaii Music Supply to Showcase Luthiers for a Cause Ukes

LOS ANGELES, CA – Luthiers for a Cause is proud to announce that Hawaii Music Supply will contribute its world-class showcasing and retail expertise in November when all six of the completed tenor ukuleles are ready to be sold for the benefit of The Ukulele Kids Club.

Commonly known by its website The Ukulele Site (www.theukulelesite.com), Hawaii Music Supply was established in 2005 and offers quality ukuleles ranging from about $150 to over $3,000 for custom instruments. The company was built on the principle that regardless of price, every ukulele should undergo a rigorous inspection and setup process. This ensures each customer receives a properly setup instrument to maximize its playability and therefore their enjoyment of the ukulele they select. With its best-in-class set up, strong focus on providing customers with a broad selection of ukuleles, and outstanding sound demos, The Ukulele Site is thought by many ukulele enthusiasts to be the pre-eminent retailer of ukuleles.

“Each of our six world-class luthiers has worked with The Ukulele Site and has the greatest respect for the team that works so hard to introduce many great luthiers to the ukulele community,” said project founder Eddie Monnier. “Nobody does a better job showcasing ukuleles and ensuring that every ukulele is properly set up so that every customer receives the best ukulele for his or her price point.”

Hawaii Music Supply founder Andrew Kitakis shared, “I come from a luthier family and know firsthand what a tremendous sacrifice these luthiers are making to donate a custom-crafted instrument to benefit The Ukulele Kids Club charity. We are proud to contribute to the project and excited to help Luthiers for a Cause demonstrate the unique voice and aesthetic beauty each of these highly respected luthiers brings to the special woods being used in this project.”

Learn more about the project developments and The Ukulele Kids Club at the Luthiers for a Cause website (www.luthiersforacause.org). You can also visit the Ukulele Kids Club website at www.theukc.org.

About Luthiers for a Cause
Six of the world’s most distinguished instrument builders have come together to showcase their unique building approaches and to make a lasting difference in the lives of sick children. Each luthier will build a tenor ukulele out of wood sourced from two trees that are legendary among acoustic guitar and ukulele enthusiasts. All of the proceeds from the sale of the instruments will go to benefit The Ukulele Kids Club, a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to harness the healing power of music by sending hospitalized children home with the gift of music for life.

·       Steve Grimes (www.grimesguitars.com)

·       Beau Hannam (www.beauhannamguitars.com)

·       John Kinnard (www.kinnardukes.com)

·       Jay Lichty (www.lichtyguitars.com)

·       Jake Maclay (www.hiveukuleles.com)

·       Joji Yoshida (www.jojiyoshidaguitars.com)

# # #

Contacts: Eddie Monnier (eddie@luthiersforacause.org) | Patchen Uchiyama (patchen@luthiersforacause.org)

Spotlight On The Healing Power of Music: Eva

We wanted to shine a spotlight on a recent example of how The Ukulele Kids Club has made a positive difference in the world of a child battling through a serious medical situation. And she has gone on to inspire other children to find joy in music. This lovely expression of appreciation was excerpted from a note shared by Eva's mother.

"As I sit here typing this, Eva is upstairs practicing her ukulele. She has become devoted to the instrument. She practices every day, sometimes for hours, and has learned a variety of songs on it. For her birthday, she received a Luna ukulele that allows an amp to be plugged into it. For Christmas, we had to get a hard case because she carries it everywhere and to school most days.

"Her music teacher at school has embraced her love of the ukulele and has let her play it during school. She is also the "leader" of a ukulele group the same music teacher has started. I believe she started it knowing that the ukulele and the music is a great thing for Eva!

"And to think all of this was started because YOU provided her the ukulele and taught her some basic chords. And word has it, many of the other girls in her grade received ukulele's for Christmas! You have made such an amazing impact on her life! I would love to share a picture of her playing.

Eva Practicing, Which She Does Often!

Eva Practicing, Which She Does Often!

If there is any way we can support or put a spotlight on what a wonderful piece you provide in this rehabilitation, please let us know how we can help. If there are volunteer opportunities within the Art/Music therapy department, she would love to participate!

She still has a long road to go, but her progress is months ahead of the doctors' expectations and I believe it's because of people like YOU that touched her heart and helped provide her comfort and sharing your mutual love for music.

Thanks for all you do for the kids, and what you have given my daughter!!

Sincerely,

Jessica, the Proud Mother of Eva

We are thrilled that Eva finds comfort in making music. Knowing that her passion has resulted in spreading the joy of making music to others in her school and that she is already looking for opportunities to volunteer so she can help others like herself is inspiring.

Way to go Eva!

Rodgers Tuning Machines Contributing Best-in-Class Tuners to Luthiers for a Cause

Luthiers for a Cause is very pleased to announce the addition of Rodgers Tuning Machines as a sponsor! Good quality Machine Heads are an integral part of the instrument's overall performance and beauty. For over 40 years, Rodgers has hand built machine heads to order. They give great attention to every aspect of both the design and the manufacture and pride themselves on ensuring that the finished machine head is both mechanically and artistically of the highest possible quality.

Two Legendary Trees, Six World-Class Instrument Builders, Lots of Children Harnessing the Healing Power of Music

LOS ANGELES, CA -  Six of the world’s most distinguished instrument builders have come together to showcase their unique building approaches and to make a lasting difference in the lives of sick children. Each luthier will build a tenor ukulele out of wood sourced from two trees that are legendary among acoustic guitar and ukulele enthusiasts. All of the proceeds from the sale of the instruments will go to benefit The Ukulele Kids Club, a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to harness the healing power of music by sending hospitalized children home with the gift of music for life.

The backs and sides of the ukuleles will be built from The Tree, an almost mythical 100-foot tall Honduran mahogany tree that landed in a ravine when it was felled in 1965. Even after being cut in half, the giant was impossible to move and laid stuck in the ravine for 18 years. Scientists don’t know why, but the figuring in this particular tree is so unique that another like it has never been found. In addition to its rare beauty, The Tree is lauded for its acoustic properties. To many of the top-notch builders who have used the wood, they say it sounds more like Brazilian rosewood, which is for many the benchmark in acoustic guitar and ukulele tone.

The tops will be made of Lucky Strike redwood, a particular redwood tree that fell during a storm and was discovered in the early 1990’s. Part of the fallen tree straddled a ravine, which allowed it to air dry naturally for many years. Known for its exceptional stiffness-to-weight ratio and its straight, even grain with considerable cross-grain silk, Lucky Strike redwood delivers a unique sound that carries the warmth of redwood but also the clarity of spruce.

To see either of these woods in any one instrument is extremely rare. To see and hear six instruments with both woods built by some of the most highly respected luthiers in the business has never been done. The distinguished luthiers who will turn these storied woods into beautiful looking and sounding instruments include:

 “I’m very honored that such talented luthiers are excited to demonstrate how they each uniquely approach virtually identical, storied wood sets,” said project founder Eddie Monnier. “It will be a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the nuances of six different world class voicings and unique aesthetic styles. Their selfless contributions will create significant benefit for The Ukulele Kids Club, which puts music in the hands of kids enduring very serious medical situations.”

The Ukulele Kids Club founder Corey Bergman added, “We are excited to be selected as the charitable cause by these esteemed luthiers who recognize the healing power of music therapy and the positive benefits of gifting music for life. Project proceeds will help us achieve our goal of gifting 10,000 ukuleles to hospitalized children by the end of 2018.” 

Follow project developments at the Luthiers for a Cause website (www.luthiersforacause.org). To learn more about The Ukulele Kids Club, visit www.theukc.org.