March 4 – PLAY for PPIE
By Shirley Yuan
PLAY (Promoting Leadership for Aspiring Youth), a youth-led 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization held its 3rd annual music fundraising concert at Harvest Park middle school on Sunday March 4. The 2-hour concert showcased the performance of band, orchestra, Chinese ensemble, choir, Kong Fu, and a wide variety of dances that delighted the audience.The event drew more than 350 people, including city and school district officials, and the multipurpose room was fully packed with some in the audience even having to stand at back. Local families, residents and businesses joined together to raise approximately $10,000 in cash and goods for PPIE (Pleasanton Partnerships in Education), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that has been raising fund for Pleasanton School district for 30 years.
Mr. Steve McCoy-Thompson, PPIE executive director, exclaimed: “Wow – what an amazing event! PLAY is truly a labor of love , and we are so grateful to be beneficiaries of your great commitment to the community.” Superintendent Dr. David Haglund said, ”I was so impressed with the work of our high school students. They shared their love for music, dance, and performance, while being positive role models in the community. In the process, they raised significant amount of funding to support our schools. This small troupe of high school students who had an idea four years ago and have walked it forward with humility and passion. This is a perfect example of the character traits we strive as a community to develop in our youth.”
Before the concert, PLAY youth also hosted a “Music Instruments Petting Zoo” sponsored by Ingram & Brauns Musik Shoppe, which gives curious children of all ages a hands-on experience of different types of instrument. This was the 3rd music fundraising showcase by PLAY Music Group, which was founded in 2015 with only 5 middle schoolers who were passionate about music and community service. Within 3 years, PLAY has grown to about 50 youth members consisting of Band, Orchestra, Chinese Ensemble, and Choir. So far, the talented young musicians have raised over $30,000 in cash and goods for different charities. Besides annual music fundraising concerts, PLAY music groups also play music to entertain seniors, and support other activities in order to better the community.
There are 9 other groups in PLAY. Through the multitude of groups and activities, PLAY Youth learn by experience that everyone has talents and leadership potential. They gain larger than life experience by using their talents to serve and cultivate true leadership. By engaging in the community, the youth are exposed to civic, business, engineering, and other areas of learning, and discover at a young age what they are truly passionate about. In PLAY, young members develop into the leaders of tomorrow by serving the community with real life experiences. To learn more, please check: http://www.
