Receives Prebys Foundation Grant for $72,200
Expanding the Musical Biographies Program Serving San Diego Seniors with Dementia
San Diego – The Prebys Foundation recently announced the launch of its Healing Through the Arts and Nature initiative, which awarded $5.2 Million to 59 nonprofits across San Diego. These grant awards will support programs serving youth, veterans, justice-impacted individuals, and historically underserved communities, offering proactive ways to enhance quality of life in a post-pandemic world. This effort is rooted in growing evidence that non-clinical approaches, such as spending time in nature and engaging with the arts, can reduce social isolation, improve mental health, and foster a stronger sense of community. Villa Musica, San Diego’s Community Music Center is thrilled to be the recipient of a $72,200 grant from the Prebys Foundation to expand their Musical Biographies Program, serving San Diego Seniors with Dementia.
Dr. Fiona Chatwin, Executive and Artistic Director of Villa Musica shared “The Prebys Foundation is making such an enormous impact in San Diego’s non profit sector’s growth and sustainability. As we enter our 20th year in operation, their support allows us to expand our Musical Biographies program, an initiative that is very dear to us. In partnership with the UCSD Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, this program is designed to bring together people with all forms of dementia, their care-givers, and family in a unique multi-sensorial experience that centers around music and memory. Participants work with Villa Musica and UCSD staff, care givers, and extended family members to identify music that inspires memory; memory of an important occasion, an event, an era, and then design and decorate a personal memory book that brings their musical choices to life. The support from The Prebys Foundation will allow us to expand the number of seniors we serve – by creating the Musical Biographies website, training videos, and modular curriculum that can be downloaded for folks all over the country.”
Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation shared “We are incredibly proud to support the Healing Through the Arts & Nature initiative. These grantees exemplify the transformative power of creativity and the natural world in fostering healing and well-being. Their innovative projects not only enrich our communities but also provide vital pathways to recovery and resilience. We look forward to the profound impact their work will have on individuals and society as a whole.”
Photos of Villa Musica’s Musical Biographies Program
Musical Biographies Informational Video
Musical Biographies Testimonial Video
About Prebys Foundation
Prebys Foundation is the largest independent private foundation in San Diego County, a unique tri-national area encompassing communities from San Diego, Tijuana, and the Kumeyaay Nation. The foundation works to create an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic future for all San Diegans. Prebys advances excellence and shared opportunity through investments in groundbreaking institutions, ideas, and people to ensure more people in the region are financially secure, healthy, empowered, and connected.
About Villa Musica
Villa Musica makes music accessible through education, performance and community engagement. Founded as a 501c3 non-profit corporation in November 2005, Villa Musica is a vibrant gathering place where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to take music lessons, play in an ensemble, or participate in a workshop. Villa Musica’s goal is to create a focal point for community music education in San Diego, where students and teachers can meet to exchange ideas and experience the joy of making music. By creating a supportive and creative environment for the study of music, we aim to inspire many San Diegans to make music-making part of their lives. Villa Musica is a leader in providing access to high quality music education to students of all ages and abilities. We continue to build a broad range of programs that serve the San Diego Community at our main campus, neighborhood satellites, with partnering organizations and schools. www.villamusica.org
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