We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Family Foundation for their long-term commitment to funding youth music education in Asbury Park. The music programs at Hope Academy Charter School and the Hip Hop Institute at the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth have been funded by the Plangere Foundation for the past three years and they have just committed to continued funding through 2021. This annual grant of $100,000 supports hundreds of under-served children in Asbury Park and Monmouth County.

The Music Saved My Life youth music education programs are delivered as a partnership between the Asbury Park Music Foundation and Lakehouse Music Academy to positively impact youth in the Asbury Park area, one the most challenged youth communities in the country. The mission of the Hope Academy is to produce intelligent, competent, compassionate, and community-minded citizens who will teach others to be, to know, and to do likewise. This in-school music education provides a relevant and engaging program for grades K-8.

The Hip Hop Institute, which is run 3 nights a week in partnership with Lakehouse and the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth, provides lessons and mentoring for hip hop songwriting, production and dance. Finding creative and innovative ways to engage the teen population is critical in seeking to provide them with the support structures they need to thrive in life. Leveraging young people’s passion for music and demonstrating that those passions can lead to meaningful life and career opportunities is at the heart of the Hip Hop Institute.

On behalf of our students, the community and our program partners, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Family Foundation!