Janine has struggled with PTSD for years. The loss of both of her parents was devastating. She sought traditional medical treatments with little progress. Thankfully, a friend knew of her love for music and her need for healing. Janine leapt at the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. She chose the bass guitar. Six months into the program, Janine has not only progressed from playing chords to reading sheet music to playing songs, but most importantly, she has made wonderful progress on her path to healing from PTSD.Her instructor is a professional musician who has receiving training in teaching with a trauma based approach. He is positive, encouraging, and provides a safe place for expression of emotions long buried so that they can come to the surface for healing.
Janine describes her life as completely different now. She looks forward to each new day, to accepting new challenges and learning new things. The life of dreary depression is moving into the past as she moves forward into a bright future. There are so many other Janines out there… waiting for an opportunity that will help them heal from the pain of the past. Can you help change their futures from despair to hope and joy?
A Note from the President
Wow! What a crazy back to school start this month has been! Many schools around the country are trying to navigate through the challenges caused by the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. Some schools have moved back to distance learning. For U.S orphans living in foster care, the inability to attend in person school eliminates an important support system and a chance to “be like other kids”, while increasing the emotional stress as a result of isolation and restriction from activities. We are fortunate that our online music lessons are proven to be so effective for children learning to play musical instruments. We believe it is because our professional music teachers are trauma trained instructors. They provide the safe, stable, and encouraging place for wounded children to heal, giving them the opportunity to move from depression and despair to hope and joy! In case you didn’t know, almost 450,000 U.S. children are currently in foster care. They range in age from newborn to 21 years of age. According to AFCAR, as of Sept. 2019, 28% of the almost 450,000 children are orphans.
When parents do not change behaviors of life-threatening abuse or neglect, parental rights are severed. Through no fault of their own, foster children become orphans that live in foster homes, group homes, and emergency shelters. Unfortunately, they move an average of three times per year. Some research suggests that every time foster children move, they lose an average of one year of academic progress. They also experience ongoing emotional trauma from losing stability in caring adult relationships. At All Kids Need Music, we focus on the children who have experienced the most trauma. The majority of these children have had their parental rights severed so they are truly orphans right here in our midst. We work with state child safety agencies, group homes, and schools to identify the students that need us the most. Once the students pick from one of ten musical instruments to call their own, we match them with a trauma trained, professional music teacher and begin their lessons and journey towards healing.
As you might guess, the need is staggering. We really need your financial support to help these fragile children heal. All Kids Need Music is an IRS registered 501(c)3 charity, and we have earned the 2021 Seal of Trust from Guidestar as an organization that ethically and transparently manages funds donated for the children. There are many ways to help, and there is no git too small to help change a child’s life. I urgently invite you to join me in transforming depression and despair to joy and hope for the most vulnerable children in our nation. Thank you for your caring and kindness – it is exactly what is needed to bind up the wounds of U.S. orphans.
We are always grateful when media outlets help tell the story of orphaned and homeless children’s lives being transformed through the healing power of music. The majority of Americans don’t know that we have orphaned children right here in our midst! They also don’t know that these children have been beaten horribly, sexually abused, starved, given drugs, and other unimaginable abuses. We are confident that as their stories are told, compassionate businesses, places of worship, and individuals will come forward to be a part of their healing. If you have not viewed some of the media coverage we have received, we invite you to do so. And please help our fragile children by sharing their stories with your family and friends. We really can change depression and despair into hope and joy – won’t you join us?
Reunion Church has joined our mission to care for U.S. orphans. We are so grateful that the church will be sponsoring two Arizona orphans, both girls living in group homes. The girls are beyond excited and can’t wait to get started. Located in Peoria, AZ, Reunion Church is a non-denominational Christian church that loves God and teaches His truth through fellowship, communion, and prayer. The church offers genuine Christian community, and most importantly, deeper fellowship with God. Find out more about Reunion Church HERE.
If your church or place of worship believes that there is a mandate to care for orphans, particularly right in our own neighborhoods, we invite you to join us as a sponsor. Your local missions, youth, or children’s ministry might love the opportunity to minister to children close by, write them notes of encouragement, and in some cases, be able to visit or invite them to visit. This is truly a local missions opportunity to change the most vulnerable in your communities!
Thank you, Michael Murillo and MCM Transportation for sponsoring a vulnerable Arizona orphan. Michael’s sponsored child lives in a group home. She wants to play the violin, and is so excited to get started on her musical journey, not to mention receiving a violin of her very own! Michael’s company, MCM Transportation, believes in giving back to the Arizona community. Michael has served orphans in Africa, and has seen firsthand the devastation that being orphaned creates. We are grateful that this wonderful girl who has suffered so much can begin her journey of transformation from depression and despair to hope and joy.
Would you like more information about adopting foster children? Building Arizona Families, one of our corporate sponsors, can help. They offer virtual seminars on adoption for foster children, infants, and Haitian children. You can find out more about adoption by visiting their website HERE. And, you can view children whose parental rights have been severed and who are hoping and praying for forever families HERE. Please forward the information about adoption to friends and family!
When Kristen Hunsley heard about All Kids Need Music, there were tears in her eyes. The first question out of her mouth was, “How can I help?” The second thing she said was, “Sign me up!”. Kristen’s life journey has not always been an easy one, and many times it would have been so understandable for Kristen to focus on her own problems and needs. Kristen is compassionate, and children are her soft spot.
If this is you, and you want to help, please remember that everyone can do something! There are numerous ways to contribute to help change our most fragile children’s lives. From a one time gift to a monthly recurring child sponsorship, there are lots of ways to help, and we invite you to join us!
There are so many ways for individuals to help change the lives of foster children. Choose a child or children to sponsor for a year. You can choose to cover the costs of the child’s instrument and lessons, just the lessons, or just the instrument. You can also choose to give to the area of greatest need. You can make a single gift or a monthly recurring gift. And remember, it changes childrens’ lives and is tax deductible as an additional benefit to you.
Business Champions
Businesses that sponsor music lessons and instrument rental for at risk children are first and foremost changing the lives of the most vulnerable children in the U.S. As a thank you for the generosity of our business partners, we provide an effective platform for businesses to build their brand around their corporate generosity.
Research proves that corporations that give back have a significantly higher brand appeal and loyalty rate. Corporations engaged in social good also positively impact their own employees at work satisfaction and company loyalty. Being a champion for at-risk children provides the opportunity for employees to stay in touch with their sponsored child, providing a source of joy and sense of being cared about for children who in many instances have been terribly abused and discarded.
We urgently need your help for thousands of U.S. orphans living in group homes and shelters around our country. These orphaned children have already experienced so much pain and loss from unimaginable child abuse and neglect. They need the opportunity to heal through the therapy of playing a musical instrument. We are an IRS registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your generous gift is tax deductible. Please do what you can to help these children!
both of her parents was devastating. She sought traditional medical treatments with little progress. Thankfully, a friend knew of her love for music and her need for healing. Janine leapt at the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. She chose the bass guitar. Six months into the program, Janine has not only progressed from playing chords to reading sheet music to playing songs, but most importantly, she has made wonderful progress on her path to healing from PTSD.Her instructor is a professional musician who has receiving training in teaching with a trauma based approach. He is positive, encouraging, and provides a safe place for expression of emotions long buried so that they can come to the surface for healing.
2021 Seal of Trust from Guidestar as an organization that ethically and transparently manages funds donated for the children. There are many ways to help, and there is no git too small to help change a child’s life. I urgently invite you to join me in transforming depression and despair to joy and hope for the most vulnerable children in our nation. Thank you for your caring and kindness – it is exactly what is needed to bind up the wounds of U.S. orphans.
Thank you, Michael Murillo and MCM Transportation for sponsoring a vulnerable Arizona orphan. 
Michael’s sponsored child lives in a group home. She wants to play the violin, and is so excited to get started on her musical journey, not to mention receiving a violin of her very own! Michael’s company, MCM Transportation, believes in giving back to the Arizona community. Michael has served orphans in Africa, and has seen firsthand the devastation that being orphaned creates. We are grateful that this wonderful girl who has suffered so much can begin her journey of transformation from depression and despair to hope and joy.
there were tears in her eyes. The first question out of her mouth was, “How can I help?” The second thing she said was, “Sign me up!”. Kristen’s life journey has not always been an easy one, and many times it would have been so understandable for Kristen to focus on her own problems and needs. Kristen is compassionate, and children are her soft spot.
