Together! A heartfelt musical journey will benefit America's Youth

Sonofarious, a local quintet that blends classical, traditional and folksy musical styles, invites you to “Together,” a musical journey of harmony, hope and camaraderie to benefit America’s Youth, Inc., a Fernandina based non-profit that provides afterschool programs for kids. It will be held Saturday, October 25, at 4:30 at the historic Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Fernandina Beach.

The need for free after-school care in our community is growing, especially with the rising cost of living hitting the low-income community the hardest, says Sonofarious flutist, Marcus Yew, an America’s Youth supporter. With assistance from many local churches, America’s Youth “is poised to expand and meet this growing need. Now is the time to invest in its future. We all need to step up to make it possible,” he says.

Housed at the corner of S. 11^th and Indigo Streets, America’s Youth was founded in 1998 by the beloved Fernandina Beach native and community leader, John Gilbert, Sr. Since then, Mr. Gilbert has never flagged in his devotion to giving neighborhood children a better chance for success. Today, America’s Youth provides needy kids with free after-school and summer activities, homework help, mentoring, nutritious snacks and meals, and much more. It is run entirely by volunteers, receives no federal funds, and is sustained through donations and good will.

According to volunteer, Daisy Hester, who oversees many administrative tasks in addition to interacting daily with the kids, America’s Youth is unique. It is not a drop-in center, a day care provider, or a baby-sitting service. It is a non-denominational faith-based organization that encourages learning, sharing, fairness and good citizenship

Currently 33 children from 5 up to about 15 years old are enrolled, and there is a waiting list. Most of the parents are hard workers at minimum wage jobs such as those at local hotels and restaurants, Hester says. The children are picked up at school and driven by bus to America’s Youth where they are safe and supervised until parents finish work. They also get help with reading and homework, trips to the park or other locations, nutritious snacks and prepared meals from the Interfaith Dinner Network that operates out of the Salvation Army’s Hope House. The Interfaith Dinner Network, by the way, is a successful outgrowth of the America’s Youth program.

“It really is incredible,” said Sonofarious founder, Brenda Kayne, after a recent visit. “The volunteer contributions of time and funding are astounding. The kids are very trusting, feeling safe, and we were greeted with many hugs as they returned from an outing at the park. We are thrilled to support it with our music.”

Like the volunteers at America’s Youth, Sonofarious musicians are volunteers. They make music for the sheer enjoyment of it. All profits from their concerts help worthy organizations do good work.

For information, go to America's Youth; Sonofarious and/or America’s Youth Facebook pages, or email hello.sonofarious@gmail.com.

Tickets are available at https://tinyurl.com/bdewzx8p