More than 170 musical instruments donated by JAZZ.FM91 listeners have found a new home at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Toronto.
The delivery this week wrapped up the 11th year of JAZZ.FM91’s award-winning Holiday Heroes Instrument Drive, operated in partnership with Long & McQuade and FedEx Canada.
Nelson Mandela Park Public School is an inner-city school offering junior kindergarten to Grade 8 programs. Located in the heart of Regent Park, the school has a student body of just over 500 students that is incredibly diverse, with more than 30 different home languages represented. The school has a dedicated staff who work to serve the needs of their school community, with a focus on building a “culture of caring” that addresses the social and emotional wellbeing of students but also extends to caring about ensuring high-quality teaching and learning for all of their students.
“When the instruments came into the building, the kids were so excited. You could see the spark in their eyes,” said Sudeep Sanyal, principal at Nelson Mandela Park. “Thank you to [the JAZZ.FM91] community. It really does make a difference.”
The 170 instruments donated to Nelson Mandela Park Public School included guitars, keyboards, brass, woodwinds, drum kits and more. There were also 26 pieces of audio gear, 61 pieces of drum gear, and 44 miscellaneous musical items. In total, this year’s Holiday Heroes program collected more than 300 items.
We would like to thank Long & McQuade, FedEx Canada and everyone who who donated their used instruments for their help in making this year’s program a success.
We are extremely grateful for the generosity of our community, and are thankful to play a role in bringing the gift of music to the next generation.
