When Marcus, Lucas, and Noah Unruh (8, 12, and 13 years old) made a list of activities they’d be doing over their 2022 summer break, they didn’t have any amusement parks or beaches on it. Their list centered around activities that would engage their community, mostly kids, to create a spectacular fundraising event for SWAN. They started by interviewing SWAN’s founder, Diana Vuolo, around a campfire while roasting marshmallows. When they learned about the effect of parental incarceration and how SWAN’s mission impacts kids their age, the fire in their hearts was lit. From that day, they introduced SWAN to business owners, neighbors, and friends. Their passion and energy motivated many of their fellow music students to perform for the fundraiser, and each of them invited guests. Over 80 people attended and were treated to an entire musical program, had dinner during intermission, and placed bids on auction items. Notably, not one adult was seen running the show! The evening featured “Kids Helping Kids.” And what was the impact? Not only did they let thousands of people know about SWAN (they were featured in a community paper), but they raised $2,500! That gave SWAN the ability to connect loving, caring music teachers with students whose potential can now get unleashed to serve their communities through performance!
We invite you to watch highlights from the event.