Why I Donate to The Local Sound Collaborative
I am a huge fan of Giving Tuesday. I’m still full from Thanksgiving dinner and the holiday rush is fully underway. I am SO excited to send the kids back to school after the long weekend and take a few quiet moments to pause and reflect upon my home, Rochester NY, what it has given me and what I can give back. This year, I am very excited to include The Local Sound Collaborative in the list of organizations that I plan to donate to.
Why The Local Sound Collaborative?
I donate to The Local Sound Collaborative because I love music. But perhaps more importantly, I believe that supporting and uplifting music and the arts is a critical component of fostering a warm, inclusive, and diverse community that is dedicated to the mental, physical and social wellness of all of its members.
The Local Sound Collaborative supports local artists, but those artists, through their work and by sharing their gifts, support the community at large. Music provides an opportunity for connection in a world that desperately needs more connection. Perhaps it’s hearing a lyric that resonates with you and makes you feel less alone. Or dancing (in my case, awkwardly bobbing) around with other fans at a live show and just catching the energy of a room and the joy of listening to someone play the shit out of their instrument. Or hearing someone share a feeling or experience that is totally outside the realm of anything that you know or have experienced yourself – presenting the opportunity to open your ears and your heart and learn something new. No individual person experiences music the same way – but collectively, we are all better for having experienced it at all.
I consider the soundtrack of my life – beginning with my mother’s heartbeat, grandma’s favorite church songs, my first DMB concert (thanks to my dad who drove me to Canandaigua to scalp tickets when I was still in middle school), screaming my alma mater at my high school graduation and on my wedding day, the breakup songs, the going out songs, the late night dance party songs, the two Bon Jovi songs that were played at my wedding reception despite my carefully curated playlist, the nursey rhymes I sang to my children when they were babies, the approximately 1,000 poop songs that my son requests from Alexa on a daily basis. Upon reflection I realize just how many of my life’s experiences have revolved around music, and how those moments were made possible by artists who were empowered to create and share their work. I hope that my donation to the LSC will help support more artists and lay the soundtrack for the next generation.
The LSC is ‘local’ in every sense – its mission is to help support existing artists and create opportunities for new artists within the City of Rochester. The LSC hosts artist showcases, facilitates music classes for young children, and through its social media amplifies artists within the Rochester community by spreading information about local music events or linking to artist social media accounts. It is run by dedicated employees and volunteers who live locally in Rochester and are personally invested in its success. Your money will help fund grant programs that help artists to survive financially while still pursuing their craft.
By supporting the LSC, I am able to see how my donations are put to work to benefit the Rochester community. It is truly wonderful to feel like I am making a difference. If you are able, I encourage you to donate on this Giving Tuesday and beyond!
-Meagan Ekimoff
LSC Volunteer and Donor
