Community Service Tour

Hey! My name is Shanelle D. Jenkins. I am a New York City native, Grammy member and (if you haven't guessed from the photo), trumpet player and bandleader for Youngbloods' Jazz.  We are a musical performance ensemble that educates the public on jazz and other genres of music as we entertain. We give performances and lectures in schools, at special events, and even in different states on the Eastern Seaboard. Many of our members are educators of children. We also have participated as individual musicians in various community events that help address specific needs of the general population, like suicide prevention, childcare and computer literacy for seniors. In the spirit of our interests in this realm, and due to many inquiries from audience members we have met over the last three years, I am currently fundraising to extend and expand the reach of our work to the southern, mid-western and western states of America as well as Canada. The mission of the Youngbloods is two-fold: to give community concerts in high-risk rural or urban North American locations where we can also help donate goods and/or services that address specific needs of each community (e.g. having a "Family Night Out" concert that supports providing school supplies and drop-in tutoring to children in a Newark neighborhood or a school in Michigan).  The money will be used to cover travel expenses, musical equipment costs, honorariums for musicians and purchase necessary goods based on the needs of each community. This means a lot to me because it is an opportunity for my cohorts and I to use the skills we have at our disposal to spread jazz awareness and general live music appreciation  around the country, while also working to help our fellow countrymen. In a world where stardom supecedes service, I want our music to be a vehicle for social, mental and economic change in a community that may not have expected it; even if it is in a small way.  It would be ideal if we meet our goal by December 31st, 2016 so that we can start 2017 with a new purpose! But since this is restarting at a later date (mainly because of recent performances like the NYC Marathon!), I would be extremely grateful if you supported me in this effort; I'd even be willing to give you Youngbloods' swag and tons of music as a way of saying "thank you"!