Overview

The Mission
Eighty-Eight Keys, through its awards, instrument scholarships, and sacred music performances, is committed to helping individuals of all ages, races, and creeds become what their dreams call them to be. Our goals are to educate, empower and develop our youth to be professional performers in the arts, academics, and production. We commit ourselves to achieving this objective by acting in partnership with other interested people and organizations that have a similar vision and heart.

Program Overview
The Eighty-Eight Keys Foundation is rooted in the need to develop professional programs that challenge perceptions about “others” and promotes awareness and understanding of ethnic and cultural differences. We accomplish this through linking schools and their communities in innovative activities.

As urban and rural communities become increasingly multi-cultural and multi-racial, there are increased social pressures that affect how we live and interact with each other. This impacts our ability to communicate amongst our children, youths, adults, and the elderly. Too many young people struggle against harmful racial stereotypes because their peers are unable to recognize, appreciate, learn from, and respect those who are different. It is imperative for the seeds of bigotry to be stifled at a young age and to develop an appreciation for people of diverse races, languages, family experiences, customs, and values.

An Evening of Eighty- Eight Keys creates community unity through the blending of people from diverse cultures, and celebrates the principles on which our great nation was founded. This formal awards program is a vital and practical tool that meshes the rich arts, culture, education and history of various communities, and seeks to cultivate an awareness of the richness of understanding multiple cultures.

Program Impact
An Evening of Eighty-Eight Keys has instituted itself within the greater Portland and Southwest Washington region and is able to boast of a twelve year track record of uninterrupted programming. It is unique in its ability to deliver the largest gospel celebration in the state, which is viewed by more than 3,000 audience members, a projected television audience of 700,000 people, and additional re-runs on TV are estimated to reach nearly 500,000 viewers. That means that Eighty-Eight Keys has impacted approximately 1.2 million people. The foundation has also affected the lives of hundreds of youths through instrument donations, scholarships, and educational programs provided in the Christian Performing Arts Center

Community Benefits
The Eighty-Eight Keys Foundation firmly believes that the greatest way to build a community is to develop the minds and encourage the hopes of youth. The annual program is specifically designed for this purpose by highlighting and involving local area youth in educational workshops conducted by local performing artists and also by the featured artist for that year. Eighty-Eight Keys teams up with local businesses to provide scholarships for disadvantaged youth so that they can reach their fullest potential. This enables young people with a desire to study music, dance, and/or theater an opportunity to learn how to become all that they want to be.

Community members derive substantial benefit from their participation in the development, production, and viewing of this annual event and educational programs. The educational programming brings together young people of all ages and cultural backgrounds to build and support a community vision and greater cultural awareness, appreciation, and acceptance.

An Evening of Eighty-Eight Keys will continue to provide opportunities for our youth through education, community awareness, and scholarships.