2006 Update
Thanks to your incredible generosity, the Theresa Swalwell MIRACLE of MUSIC Fund began its first year of operation in 2005 with more than $43,000 in donations! Because of the unexpected amount of money raised, and the details involved in setting up a fund of this nature, we finalized an agreement with the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation to administer the MOM Fund. This outstanding philanthropic organization manages more than $160 million in similar funds, endowments and scholarships for families in the Des Moines, Iowa, area.
Thanks to your ongoing support, and the power of the GDCF investments, we hope to be able to operate the MOM Fund into perpetuity. Our goal is to distribute the money earned annually from the GDCF investments, thus preserving our initial principal balance.
Working with the GDCF, information on the MOM Fund and applications are distributed every year to dozens of public and private schools in the central Iowa area.
We are pleased to tell you that because of financial assistance provided by the MOM Fund, organizations that serve hundreds of young people are now providing music education that otherwise would not have been able to do so. Again, thanks to your initial and ongoing generosity, we are realizing our goal of enabling young people to be exposed to the wonder of music. There could be no better way of honoring Theresa’s memory.
- Rick, Katy, Abbey Swalwell
Here’s a recap of the programs that the MOM Fund has impacted since its inception:
2006-2007
Young people at the Edmunds Academy of Fine Arts in Des Moines face many challenges including economics, race, language and physical disabilities. One of the more successful music programs is the school’s Steel Drum Band. However, a limited number of students could participate. Thanks to the MOM Fund, the school will purchase a special set of drums, and by using participatory drum circles for all students in grades K-5, at-risk youth can now achieve a feeling of teamwork, community and experience the feeling of success via the Kids Can Drum program.
Des Moines Area Pre-School/Elementary Teachers
Freddie the Frog is the hero of a two-series book authored by Sharon Burch, music educator and fellow PACE teacher of Theresa Swalwell. Dozens of central Iowa pre-school and elementary music teachers will receive FREE Freddie the Frog books, CDs, puppet, flash cards and poster for use in their classrooms, thanks to the MOM Fund. Mystic Publishing will also donate a percentage of future sales of Freddie the Frog books to the Theresa Swalwell Miracle of Music Fund.
This private church-related school has a unique population – with nearly 2/3 of the kids being first-generation Americans with many of them coming from low-income families. Holy Family students typically are not exposed to the variety of music programs that may be available in other schools. In fact, budget constraints meant that a music teacher could not be employed for this school year.
Thanks to the Theresa Swalwell MOM Fund, Holy Family students are now enjoying music education on a regular basis via a program called “Music in Motion”, a turnkey music appreciation curriculum kit. The youngsters have presented special musical programs to parents and nearby senior citizen centers.
2005-2006
The Ankeny Academy of Music provides classes for preschool children with developmental challenges and language delay. The Theresa Swalwell MOM Fund provided scholarships for three brothers, all who have varying degrees of autism. The young lads were unable to continue their lessons after their father developed cancer and the family no longer could afford the lessons. In his memorial service, the boys sang a song to honor their father.
And the MOM fund is honored his memory by providing financial assistance to the young boys to enable them to return to their music lessons.
Perkins Singers
Perkins Academy in Des Moines is an English as Second Language school. Many of the children come from war-torn countries and/or from poverty and hardship. Teacher Gloria Faust says music class is one of the first places in which her students feel comfortable and confident. In fact, some of the kids are selective mutes, unable to speak, but able to sing beautiful songs.
Now the kids at Perkins Academy are making beautiful music and expressing their joy in singing along with a digital piano provided by the Theresa Swalwell MOM Fund. The Perkins singers have improved so much they have appeared on television and in concert!
This private church-related school has a unique population – with nearly 2/3 of the kids being first-generation Americans with many of them coming from low-income families. Holy Family students typically are not exposed to the variety of music programs that may be available in other schools. In fact, budget constraints meant that a music teacher could not be employed for this school year.
Thanks to the Theresa Swalwell MOM Fund, Holy Family students are now enjoying music education on a regular basis via a program called “Music in Motion”, a turnkey music appreciation curriculum kit.
Kim Glynn is a former PACE Music teacher and colleague of Theresa. Kim wanted to make her teaching more effective and efficient at Hubbell Elementary School by adding a software component to her teaching in order to improve music literacy in her classroom and facilitate music composition for her students. Kim had been able to obtain five IMac computers to aid in teaching her students, but the Des Moines School district did not have the funds to pay for music software programs to run on the computers.
Thanks to the Theresa Swalwell MOM Fund, students now can fully utilize their computers!
On behalf of Katy and Abbey, I want to thank each and every one of you for your love and support and for honoring Theresa’s memory in this special way. Our brown-eyed girl is surely smiling, what with many young lives being touched by the power of the MIRACLE OF MUSIC Fund. God bless you.