Five years ago, we started up the KMEA Fund in hopes that we could guarantee the legacy of the Kansas Music Educators Association by offering scholarships to students, award grants to teachers, and provide a vehicle for people that want to financially support the future of music education in Kansas. We had several financial hurdles to pass before we could begin to realize all of those goals.

First of all, to be a viable fund within the Greater Salina Community Foundation, we had up to five years to surpass a minimum balance of $10,000. We were able to pass that goal in a little over a year. Our next self-imposed hurdle was to have $50,000 in the KMEA Fund. With that amount, we could fully fund our current five scholarships from the proceeds. We worked for these five years and cleared that hurdle this year. There is no way this could have been done without the support and confidence of John Taylor, our KMEA Executive Director.

Well, that brings us to the title of this article, "A Christmas Present for a Five Year Old." In mid-December, we were notified that an anonymous donor had given $5,000 to the KMEA Fund. Wow!! This was a complete surprise and came out of nowhere! We had already had an outstanding year with a growth of around $8,000 that came from several people plus some matching grant opportunities, but this additional $5,000 was a real God-send.

Match Madness Will Help the Fund Grow
The Greater Salina Community Foundation is having a "Match Madness+" on May 6 where they will match up to 50% of all money donated that day. I will be representing the KMEA Fund. Here's how it works - you send me a check made out to "GSCF" with "KMEA Fund" in the memo line. It can be any amount from $1 up to $1,000. I will deliver all the collected checks on May 6 for the matching funds to apply. You can give online on May 6 by going to gscf.org and following the directions, but you can avoid the processing fee and get more donation out of your dollar by sending a check to me at 801 S. 9th St., Salina, KS, 67401, prior to May 6. I already have a $100 check in hand that was given to me at KMEA this year. I am holding it until I turn it in on May 6. Determine what you can give, make out the check to "GSCF" with "KMEA Fund" on the memo line, and mail it to me.

We have not only reached our $50,000 threshold for our existing scholarships, but now we can start realistically developing a plan to apply for and award grants from the KMEA Fund. After the logistics are finalized, we hope to begin awarding very small grants. Hopefully, when the awards get started, there can be even more interest in seeing the KMEA Fund grow.

In five years, we have grown from a dream to a reality. That is a great thing. My hope is that by next Christmas, we can be celebrating some new growth in music education here in Kansas that was helped along the way by the KMEA Fund. Please help it grow.