David’s Harp Foundation receives more than $60,000 from Cox Communications to help at-risk, homeless youth connect to music education and multimedia production
“SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Cox Communications awards a grant totaling more than $60,000 to David’s Harp Foundation, a San Diego nonprofit organization that uses music education, sound engineering and multimedia production to help teens and young adults achieve academic success. The grant will help David’s Harp Foundation create a distance learning hub at its facilities in downtown San Diego’s East Village so that at-risk and homeless students can have access to high-speed internet, academic accountability, and arts programs while social distancing during the 2020-2021 school year.
Students participate in songwriting, create podcasts and learn new skills in digital media and sound engineering that can be used in the workforce.
“With schools having to physically close their classrooms due to COVID-19, the pandemic has had an even greater impact on students affected by homelessness, foster care and incarceration,” said Brandon Steppe, who founded David’s Harp Foundation in 2007 after opening his garage studio to neighborhood youth who needed mentoring and guidance. “We noticed that our students were not participating regularly in distance learning curriculum. The grant from Cox will help us serve the 250 students who come to us not only for music education and multimedia production, but because they know that our studio is a safe space where people care about their social and emotional well being.””
