Innovative Sing-Along Concert/Fundraising Campaign for Needy Children Wins Recognition for MENC: The National Association for Music Education
The 2006 World’s Largest Concert for Feed The Children Wins ASAE’s 2007 Associations Advance America Award of Excellence
RESTON, VA (January 4, 2007) — MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the organization whose mission is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all, has won the Award of Excellence in the 2007 Associations Advance America (AAA) Awards program, a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Association Leadership, Washington, DC.
MENC received the award for its 2006 World’s Largest Concert for Feed the Children, a campaign to raise money for disaster victims that evolved in response to inquiries from members who wanted to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Recognizing that children need the basic necessities in life before they can experience the benefits of learning music, MENC members and staff contributed nearly $100,000, which was presented to Feed The Children, an international nonprofit relief organization that delivers food and other necessities to individuals, children, and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty, or natural disaster. As part of the campaign, MENC encouraged schools nationwide to participate in the World’s Largest Concert on March 9, 2006, to focus attention on the importance of music education and to raise funds for Feed The Children. Schools that organized fundraisers around the World’s Largest Concert received special recognition for their efforts. The ten Top Fundraising Schools, based on total school participation, received a banner and plaque to commemorate their efforts, and each student received a special pin. Feed The Children estimated more than 1,000 needy children could be fed for a year with MENC’s donation.
Now in its 17th year, the prestigious Associations Advance America (AAA) Awards recognize associations that propel America forward through innovative projects in public education and information, civic and community volunteer activities, and citizenship and democracy enhancement, among other categories. “MENC’s program truly embodies the spirit of the AAA campaign,” said 2006-2007 Associations Advance America Committee Chair Charles A. McGrath.
The 2006 World’s Largest Concert for Feed The Children is now in the running to receive a Summit Award, ASAE & The Center’s top recognition for Association programs, to be presented in ceremonies at ASAE’s 8th Annual Summit Awards Dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC on September 25, 2007.
For more information, visit www.menc.org.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world’s largest arts education organization, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than 130,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC’s activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.
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