When Kenneth Anderson became the Choir Director for MLKCCSD in 1996, he established a Board of Directors, and a Mission Statement Singing Gospel and Promoting the Arts and a performance season from once a year to September – June annually. We were well aware we wanted to help young people in San Diego County who were pursuing a career and/or degree in the Visual and Performing Arts.
Over the years we have formed many committees to do the necessary work of fundraising, PR and marketing, updating the website, concertmaster, media/communications, grants proposal to search for and write grants for operational costs and educational grants, and the Educational Grants Committee who sends out applications to all the local school, libraries, local churches and synagogues informing them we have funds available, selects those students were are qualified to be interviewed then make the final selections. These are also the venues where we hold many of our concerts each year. Monies are raised from the many concerts we perform each year and from faithful sponsors and donors who believe in our mission and want to help provide the educational grants.
Annually in June, we hold an Awards Ceremony/Reception during which the choir sings, the students display, express and demonstrate their art, and accept their grants. Parents, family members, and friends attend these ceremonies and we are always so proud of the accomplishments, academic excellence, talents and determination by these high school seniors who want to use their talents to make a positive difference in our world today.
Their talents include and are not limited to: comedic arts, musical theater, film production, computer science and game design, play and screenwriting, art history, jazz studies, journalism, fine arts, performance/violin, dance, performance/electric bass, performance/flute, performance/acting, performance/oboe, performance/piano and many others.
Our non-profit, all-volunteer Choir has made leaps and bounds over the years of progress, hard work and creative ideas. We wanted to make our 20th Anniversary a year of celebration: celebrating the number of grants which equates to 107 students receiving a grant ranging from $1500 – $3000 each. Each year we perform 25-40 concerts and have a huge, highly successful, All ‘Bout the Blues fundraiser at the Joan Kroc Center so the community can participate in quality musical theater and often children are part of the cast which encourages their artistic abilities.
We had a beautiful montage of past recipients and their arts displayed on the big screens as the Ceremony began and even had a former recipient speak to us about the difference the grant and community support made by encouraging her.
Mayor Racquel Vasquez of Lemon Grove was our emcee; she prides herself on putting people and community first. With beautiful decorations and many supporters from the past, we felt very proud of our 20th Anniversary of awarding educational grants and look forward to the day when we can pay all of the college expenses for some of our recipients.