Building Bridges Concerts for Kids
The original concept for the Concerts for Kids was created by Karen Lile and Kendall Ross Bean in 1982, taking the music of local artists to the schools. In 1990, when the Regional Center for the Arts was built in Walnut Creek, now called the Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, the Kendall Ross Bean's Children's Concerts were produced in the Hofmann Theatre. Children came during school hours to these concerts as part of public school field trips.
When Building Bridges was incorporated, Karen and Kendall partnered with Building Bridges and the first Building Bridges Concerts for Kids featured The Kendall Ross Bean Children's Concerts. Over 10,000 children have benefited from these concerts over the years.
Concerts For Kids Also Helped Schools
Building Bridges used the BB Concerts for Kids to motivate non-profits, service clubs, small businesses and individuals to help their local schools. When planning for these projects, the impact of every detail was considered. Days of Light Volunteers were organized to do the following:
A Days of Light Volunteer parent from Diablo Valley Middle School met with the Transportation Department for the City of Walnut Creek to discover the impact of busses parking in downtown Walnut Creek while the children' were in the concert. In an effort not to displace shoppers and residents during the hour the concert was in session, this Days of Light Volunteer made arrangements with a local church to allow the busses to use thier parking lot while the bus drivers were waiting for the children to attend the concert.
A Days of Light Volunteer from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints met with individual teachers to discover what their school supply needs were and took up donations from local businesses for copy paper and other supplies where the school budgets just didn't provide enough for the teacher's needs.
A Days of Light Volunteer from Building Bridges met with the Contra Costa County offices for Clean Air and Transportation and discussed the impact of moving children in busses as compared to private cars to the field trips. Research was done on the availability of busses for teachers who wanted to take their children on field trips
A Days of Light Volunteer student from Diablo Valley College spoke at the local service clubs to solicit donations for children to attend the Concerts in areas where the parents could not afford to send their children and where the school didn't have the money. For example, the Kiwainis Club of Walnut Creek sponsored an entire school from Bay Point to attend the concerts.
Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Contra Costa provided Days of Light Volunteers to help the students on and off the busses and while they were at the Regional Center for the Arts and offered personal tutoring of students after school hours at local school campuses.
The Concerts for Kids were recognized as part of:
- Building Bridges of Peace Month by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
- See: Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Resolution October 1996
- A Special Postal Cancellation by the Walnut Creek Main Street Post Office, United Postal Service
- See: Make History for Our Schools
- A Series of Community Service Ads Sponsored by the Contra Costa Newspapers
- See: California Theatre Arts Young Performers Recognition Ad
- See: Special Postal Cancellation Reecognition Ad
- See: Regional Center for the Arts Recognition Ad
- See: TCI Cable Television Recognition Ad
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- Contra Costa Newspapers Health and Safety Today
- Concert entertiains while helping schools
- Health and Safety Expo
- Performing Groups from the Building Bridges Concerts for Kids performed at the Health and Safety Expo