UP FRONT GIVING BACK BY STEPHANIE GATES CASEY COLE-RAY AND TIMOLIN COLE-AUGUSTUS (PICTURED LEFT) FOUNDED NAT KING COLE GENERATION HOPE IN HONOR OF THEIR LATE FATHER AND WITH THE MISSION TO SHARE MUSIC EDUCATION AND MORE WITH UNDERSERVED STUDENTS. Striking a Chord NAT KING COLE GENERATION HOPE GIVES STUDENTS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO UNLOCK A LOVE OF MUSIC F ounded by legendary singer Nat King Cole’s twin daughters, Casey Cole-Ray and Timolin Cole-Augustus, Nat King Cole Generation Hope (NKCGH) aims to share the transformative power of music with under-served youth in Palm Beach County. Based in Boca Raton and established in 2008 in 22 art&culture COURTESY OF NAT KING COLE GENERATION HOPE response to the dramatic decline of arts fund-ing in schools, NKCGH exists to provide music education programs, mentors, resources, and scholarships. To date, the nonprofit orga-nization has supported more than 71,500 students and donated more than 1,000 instruments to schools. “The twins founded the program to fill the void created by so many budget cuts,” says Shanna St. John, NKCGH’s executive direc-tor. “They wanted to stand on the shoulders of their father and ‘play’ it forward to provide musical enrichment programs to children whose families and communities were under-resourced.” The belief that access to music is a right and not a privilege is a core tenet of NKCGH. Its Summer Strings Music Camp is its most prominent program, providing children with musical enrichment through partnerships with educators from the Palm Beach County School District and Lynn University in Boca Raton. The two-week program culminates in a concert at Lynn’s Wold Performing Arts Center. In terms of impact, Project Encore! is a close runner-up. This program upcycles used instruments by collecting and donating them to underserved schools. Wondering what to do with that dusty violin in the attic or the piano in the corner of the living room? NKCGH makes it easy and will pick up old instruments directly from your home. “Music is such a salve and a solution,” St. John says. “It is a pathway for a different life. These kids never dreamed this was possible. They become better people through music education, and it opens doors they never knew they could walk through.” natkingcole genhope.org, 561.213.8209 ‡ Riding High A staple on the Wellington calendar, the Great Charity Challenge raises money for local nonprofits. Held at Wellington International every winter, the show jumping event sees teams of riders com-pete for their selected charities, with the goal of increasing donations and phil-anthropic exposure. Since its inception in 2009, the Great Charity Challenge has distributed $21.7 million to hundreds of Palm Beach County charities. Nat King Cole Generation Hope participated for the first time in 2024—and its equestrian team won first place and $100,000. The 2025 Great Charity Challenge will take place February 1. greatcharitychallenge. com, 561.793.5867
Art and Culture Winter 2025: Page 22
