Sea-Adelines Education Endowment Fund

It had long been a dream of Teresa McCafferty and Anna Chamberlain—longtime friends and two of Unplugged's members—to implement a quartet endowment fund for North Pacific Region 13. They picked the brains of fellow barbershoppers in the Evergreen District, whose Bud Leabo Fund has operated successfully for years, to learn the various ins and outs of charitable funds; they met with the Region 13 Management Team to present their ideas; they approached Ovation! (the Region 13 Chorus of Quartet Champions) for assistance. And they were thrilled when everyone responded enthusiastically and positively to the proposal.

And so a new endowment fund was established in 2004 to provide financial support for the promotion, education and development of quartet singing in the barbershop style within North Pacific Region 13. Monies from the Fund will be disbursed as grants to quartets. General disbursements are to be made only from investment income, and the principal will not be disbursed unless funds were donated specifically for immediate distribution. The initial goal of the Fund is to support coaching for quartets in remote areas of Region 13 and award scholarships to such events as SET, IES, Harmony College NW, and Queen’s College! In the years to come, as the Fund grows and becomes more bountiful, the reach will be expanded to include hosting workshops and granting individual scholarships to educational events.

Fundraising for the Fund was kicked off at the 2004 Convention Afterglow, and featured appearances by Unplugged (left), the newly named regional champions as well as other special entertainment. Challenges from quartets and tables of attendees, sing-with-the-champs opportunities, and other fun activities also contributed to the success of the event.

The Fund has five Trustees, chosen with input from the Regional Management for two-year terms. The current Education Coordinator will be a permanent Trustee; Patty Martin is currently in that position. The RMT agreed, that as founders of the fund, Teresa McCafferty and Anna Chamberlain also should be named Trustees. Zoe Thompson, bass of The Sea-Adelines, graciously agreed to also be one of the founding Trustees. Rounding out the team is Janice McKenna, who has an extensive background in grant writing for non-profit public radio. These women will manage the monies in the account, as well as make decisions about where the grants should be awarded. Marc Scharr, financial advisor and husband of Pacific Sound Chorus member Kay Scharr, is overseeing the investment of the donated monies so quartets can start reaping the benefits of this wonderful opportunity!

For more information about the Fund, how to donate, how to apply and some history about The Sea-Adelines, please read on!

 

Home

The Sea-Adelines

How to Donate

Applying for Funds