This story is part of our ACG Fall Fund Drive Changing Lives Storyboard. Consider supporting ACG today!
A few weeks ago, a very good friend asked ACG’s Director of Education Travis Marcum and I to lunch to talk about the Lullaby Project. We traded stories about the importance of music in our own childhoods. We talked about the young moms we’ve gotten to know in the course of this work, and the unforgettable songs they have created for their children. We were moved to tears.
Our friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, handed us a beautiful card expressing her hope for many more years of healing through music at Austin Classical Guitar. Inside the envelope was a check for $75,000 to begin a fund dedicated to the Lullaby Project within the ACG Endowment.
What an extraordinary gift. I am so inspired by the generosity that enables us to work toward healing through music with some of our community’s most vulnerable individuals.
If you would like to add your support, you can make a contribution using the form below, or email me to learn more about gifts to the ACG Endowment.
The newest lullaby, “I Will Protect You,” was created just last week at the Travis County Jail by Arlen, who wrote it for her four young children. I’d love for you to hear it. Just hit the play button on the video below. There’s also a reflection by Joey Delahoussaye, the Lullaby Project clinician who worked with Arlen to write this moving song.
Within a few minutes of meeting Arlen, I could tell that her soft-spoken manner belied her strength as a mother and protector of her children, who mean everything to her. In her lullaby, Arlen takes turns singing to her three daughters, Kamila, Fatima, and Valeria, and to her son, Angel. She hasn’t seen any of them since arriving at the Travis County Correctional Complex a few months ago.
Arlen would be the first to tell you how unique each of her children are, and for that reason we decided early on that this would not be a one-size-fits-all lullaby. Arlen uses the verses to speak directly to each child, addressing them one by one to offer words of encouragement. Then, in the chorus, she expresses her love for her family and commitment to protect them, no matter what. For all the uncertainty in Arlen’s life right now, her devotion to her children is steadfast. Writing this lullaby was a special experience that I won’t soon forget.
If you’re inspired by this story and would like to support the Lullaby Project, please consider making a financial gift using the form below.