SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Music is the cornerstone of a local non-profit called "Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom."
They started over two decades ago, with a simple mission to fill the gap left by reduced funding for music programs in schools.
"By bringing music into the general classroom and training classroom teachers and student teachers and assistants to play the guitar first and then we added the ukulele in 2015. So that they can introduce music throughout the school day to reinforce academic learning but also to build their classroom communities," explained founder and executive director Jessica Ann Baron.
She says music has so many benefits, among them, the ability to lower stress levels in the classroom and help students retain more of what they learn.
The non-profit has seen tremendous growth and countless success stories over the years, but the work they do needs funding.
Thanks to a generous $100 million donation from the estate of Jay Kahn, the San Diego Foundation will make sure Guitars and Ukes gets the money they need to operate, full steam ahead.
In addition to Guitars and Ukes, nine other local music-based organizations found out they'd be some of the first recipients of a very generous $100 million donation from the estate of Jay Kahn.
"This grant helps us do the hardest thing which is to get money to support the work itself," said Baron.
Kahn was a local entrepreneur and classical musician, who played the clarinet in symphonies at UCSD and USD.
"He was the embodiment of the quality of life through music and that's what we believe in," said Baron.
The remaining $86 million of the new gift will go towards establishing the Jay Kahn Endowment Fund at San Diego Foundation to continue to support local non-profits.
