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About Blue Star Connection

Here you can learn a little about Blue Star Connection, where we came from, what exactly we represent.

The Blue Star Connection Mission

The Blue Star Connection mission is to provide access and ownership of musical instruments for children and young adults with cancer and other serious life challenges. To date we have reached hundreds of kids and have donated musical gear to over 25 Children’s Hospital Music Therapy programs, as well as several other community programs. Please help us continue this mission.
Child with Guitar

What is Blue Star Connection?

The Blue Star Connection (BSC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing music into the lives of children and young adults who are fighting cancer and other life-challenging situations. We also work with musical therapists in various hospitals and clinics. We also host fundraisers and benefit concerts in many cities around the world.



How Did Blue Star Connection Start?

On August 14th 2005, the Grand County Blues Society was performing for the Shining Stars Foundation, a local group of children fighting cancer. After the show, John Catt struck up a conversation with 17-yr-old Colin Connors, a cancer patient from Denver, about playing guitar. When John asked Colin if he had a guitar of his own, his reply was, “Yeah, a beat-up, old acoustic.” John asked him if he would play an electric guitar if he had one and Colin answered, “Anything to brighten my day.”

“What color?” John asked. Colin looked at his mom, who smiled and said, “Baby blue, like his eyes.”

Less than a week could pass before someone donated a baby-blue Ibanez electric guitar and amp, meant for Colin – a good deed was that simple.

A few weeks later, John received an email from a doctor, Larry McCleary, who had worked with Colin and other children with cancer for decades. His message was profound; he had seen a dramatic change in Colin’s outlook.

Blue Star Colin

In the weeks ahead, John and the Grand County Blues Society received messages from Colin that he had found other kids his age interested in learning music. In a few months, we had 5 new kids. It was then that a community of people knew Blue Star Connection was born.



How Did Blue Star Connection Get Its Name?

Blue Star Connection Logo Sketch by Sneha.
The first few Blue Stars chose the name: “Blue” for our favorite music. “Star” was chosen because the kids are all Stars. “Connection” was chosen because we connect these children to music and to each other.

Our Blue Star from India, Sneha, was working on our logo before she passed away. She said it is the symbol that defines her vision of what Blue Star meant to her and we continue that vision today.



Our Blue Stars

We have provided guitars, bass guitars, harmonicas, violins, keyboards, flutes and drum kits to more than 60 kids in the program. We have Blue Stars in Colorado, Texas, California, Washington, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Florida, Illinois, South Dakota, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Nevada, Maryland, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oklahoma, Oregon, Arizona and once upon a time, a beautiful girl named Sneha from New Delhi India.

We have lost 7 of our Blue Stars – Devon, Sneha, Brandon, Shakiri, Adam, Amanda and Trevor. They are always with us as Blue Stars and their loved ones cherish the instruments that brought some peace and music into their lives.