With the reopening of Jackson Central-Merry Middle and High School, the administration began to hear feedback from students and staff about starting a school band. Because of the overwhelming interest, Jackson Central-Merry requested that the CAHEC Foundation New Markets Community Grant be used to purchase new musical instruments for the school. "We were excited to hear that so many students - close to 70 - had signed up for band as an extracurricular activity," explained Stefanie Lee, Community Relations Specialist at CAHEC. "For families on a fixed-income, purchasing an expensive instrument may be impossible. This was a great way for the CAHEC Foundation to get involved and play a small part in connecting students to a creative outlet."
We're happy to report that the band recently had its first concert last month. "We appreciate your support with the purchase of instruments for this group of students," Vicki Lake, Director of Community Development for West Tennessee Healthcare, who assisted Jackson Central-Merry with the grant application, said. "The band instructor has done an excellent job this year, as many of the students were brand new to playing an instrument. Thank you again for the difference you made!" Congratulations to the Jackson Central-Merry Middle and High School band!
In addition to providing funding for the instruments at Jackson Central-Merry, the CAHEC Foundation committed an additional $20,000 for scholarships to help support the post-secondary educational goals of the students graduating from Madison Academic Magnet High School. The school will award $2,000 scholarships next month to ten very deserving students. We look forward to sharing the recipients soon!
