We have branched out from providing individual kids with instruments to outfitting children’s hospitals with music therapy programs.  This has given BSC a wonderful insight to the lives of these children, their challenges and joys, and has brought us a pipeline of new Blue Stars.

Chicago Memorial Hospital, Oct  2011

John Catt was joined by a huge Chicago crew: Kate Moss, Stella Ponce, Delores Scott, Bob and Dina Mohr and Blue Star Kyle Michalik, as the huge load took alot of bodies to get to the 4th floor. This load had a mix of donated and new instruments. Chicago Memorial has been a great resource for kids over the years and it was good to finally make the gift to the girls in the therapy dept.

   

 

Cleveland Children’s Hospital, Oct 2011

 

St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital [Memphis],  Aug 2011

Don Ritter of Category 5 Amps loaded his truck up to the roof and headed to St Judes, Memphis from Dallas, driving all night to make a long awaited delivery to one of the most famous childrens hospitals in the world. After a few years, St Jude’s had finally put a music therapy department in-house. We were excited to hear that and we wasted no time in getting them outfitted. Blue Star Brittany Lopez joined Don. She has been a patient at St Jude’s over the last several years. We were excited to have this gift made in her honor.

  

 

CO Springs Children’s Hospital / Dell Children’s Hospital [Austin], Jan 2011

  

Blue Star Kendra Boyd led a excited group to Childrens at Memorial in Colorado Springs for a big delivery of gear to the music therapy dept. Alot of the gear was gathered by “Collector of the Year” Chick Cavalero. Richard Hawes and Krisanne Young joined John Catt and Don Ritter, whom were making a drop at the Dell Childrens Hospital, marking the first time BSC had been to two hospitals on the same day!

 

Oklahoma City Children’s Hospital, Nov  2010

 

 

 

Don Ritter delivered a truck full of instruments to Sara Jacobson, director of Child Life.  Although OKC does not have a music therapist on staff, the donation of these instruments will remove the barrier for OKC to hire a part time therapist.  We wish them well.

 

Kansas City Children’s Mercy Hospital, Oct 2010

 

 

Another truckload of guitars, amps, Keyboards, and basses were delivered  to a full staff of therapists ready to press them into service.  Within one week we had a Blue Star in Kansas City that was able to  take their keyboard home.  This great group of gals came out to the fundraising event at Knuckleheads Saloon and gave us all a big thank you – the pleasure was ours.

 

Vanderbilt at Nashville, August 2010

 

 

In the heart of music city we found a program that was in dire need of instruments.  We supplied quitars, amps, basses, keyboards and drums to Jenny Plumes’s program.  Chris Rodriquez (guitarist for          Kenny Loggins, Keith Urban, Leean Rimes) joined me in presenting the haul of equipment.

 

Pittsburgh Childrens Hospital, July 2010

 

 

 

During  an opportune visit to the region, we ordered up a full complement of guitars, amp, keyboards, at a local Guitar Center and presented the instruments to Nicole Steele, the music therapist at Pittsburg Children’s Hospital. These were in the Memory Of Bill Straub, a blues and Jazz lover in the Pittsburgh area.

 

Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, March 2010

 

 

 

This load of instruments came via special delivery from Texas via my brother Joe, and in Memory of Dolores Ritter and Zachery Heringer.  With lot’s of new guitars and amps, Brian Shreck can keep them in use.   He has as may as 10 out at one time.  Check out the video link here as he does a session with the newly donated guitars.

Oakland Childrens Hospital, July 2009

 

 

 

Maya Charlton from the Oakland Childrens Hospital sent us a note one day, after confering with a music therapist from Denver, she had a teenage ensemble that needed a bass. I told her how to get to Guitar Center in San Francisco and a bass would be waiting with an amp. She was pretty excited about that and we continued talking about what else she could use.

After a short discussion she was able to come to a list of gear she could put to good use. She has been a great inspiration to us. One of our supporters gave his vintage Ephiphone acoustic to us and we sent it to Maya to use as her own for instruction. Her smile  that day was all the thanks you could want.

 

Denver Children’s Hospital. July 2009

 

 

 

When Clint and Big Rob and myself went to Denver Childrens we were just going to unload a bunch of gear, 8 guitars, amps, keyboards, and a nice piano for teachers. But when we got it all in there one of the supervisors wanted us to meet some people in the hospital.  We took off with a bunch of guitars in hand and headed into the hallways. We ran into a group of kids and we handed out the guitars. They just went crazy pretending to be rock stars. Really was exciting to see them enjoying the gifts. The pictures say it all.

 

Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center [Dallas], June 2009

 

 

 

 

We donated a few guitars and a bass to the advocacy Center.  This is a program for kids in broken homes and the music therapy allows them a safe expression of their feelings.

 

Dallas Children’s Hospital, May 2009

 

 

Our first hospital, Dallas Children’s was a place for us to learn how to help.  It was here we developed our “pay it forward” system and here we found out how the music therapy was making such an impact on these kids in the hospital setting.  They were are inspiration to do more.  They also gave us 3 blue stars immediately and showed us how the hospital could help us find kids in need.