Tools for Tomorrow's 25th anniversary celebration to honor Joe Giarrusso
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Tools for Tomorrow (TFT) is celebrating 25 years of inspiring children through the arts.
TFT’s Creative Clubs have expanded to serving 1,200 children annually through 27 schools in the Desert Sands and Palm Springs Unified Schools Districts, as well as through the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City. Its free after-school arts literacy program for students ages 8 to 11 integrates art, creative writing, music and theater.
Every student receives their own art kit with oil pastels, watercolor paints, brushes, colored pencils, markers, journals, sketchbooks and more.
According to TFT’s executive director Andrea Hecht: “Since students are still recovering from the learning lost during the pandemic, our hands-on arts program provides an important opportunity for them to experience social-emotional learning.”
TFT teachers and classroom volunteers ensure that all students feel seen and heard.
Recently, TFT students at the Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City learned about the colors and sounds of Kandinsky’s abstract art through reading “The Noisy Paint Box” by Barb Rosenstock. The children’s book was paired with a hands-on art project, and every student took home a copy of the book along with their art kit at the end of the session.
At Indio’s Herbert Hoover Elementary School, students collaborated on a project titled “Everything that makes us different is what makes us all the same,” illustrating through art that we all have differences and that’s why we are the same: skin color, hair color and texture, the shape and color of eyes, freckles, eyeglasses, etc.
Through improv games and character work, the TFT Theatre Troupe at La Quinta’s Harry S. Truman Elementary School created and performed “After School Musical,” showing achievable solutions to bullying.
The Celebrate Friendship! gala will be held at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage on Feb. 26. Hosted by KESQ’s Patrick Evans and directed by actress Joyce Bulifant, the dinner concert will feature performances by Tools for Tomorrow students as well renowned singers (and former TFT teachers) Francesca Amari and Gilmore Rizzo. Joe Giarrusso will receive the “Vision for the Future” award created by Karen and Tony Barone.
TFT’s board president Judith Antonio says: “We are proud to honor Joe Giarrusso at our gala. Joe has a passion for music and for giving back.”
A classical composer and pianist, Giarrusso has enriched children’s lives throughout the Coachella Valley. Having served on the boards of Tools for Tomorrow, Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre and the LBGTQ Center of the Desert, he is currently on the boards of Palm Springs International Piano Competition and the Desert Winds Freedom Band.
During the champagne reception on Feb. 26, the silent auction will feature a staycation at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, golf and dining at Bighorn, tickets to watch the Coachella Valley Firebirds and the BNP Tennis Tournament, tickets to The Living Desert and CVRep, a vacation at Marquis Los Cabos resort, a Sonoma wine country experience, an Orange County harbor cruise with a stay at Waterfront Beach Resort, Swarovski-crystal purses and gift certificates for La Spiga, Mamma Gina’s, Modern Hacienda, The Nest, Vicky’s of Santa Fe and more.
A unique auction prize will be dinner for 10 at your home prepared by chef Reese Murakami of June Hill’s Table with Boisset Collection with premium wines provided by Judy Mathes.
The Celebrate Friendship! event sponsor is David W. Bryant; the venue sponsor is Agua Caliente Resort Spa Casino Rancho Mirage. To become a sponsor, to place an ad on the gala digital tribute screen or to buy gala tickets, visit toolsfortomorrow.org or call (760) 601-3954.
Your support helps Tools For Tomorrow make a difference in the lives of Coachella Valley children.
Suzanne Fromkin serves on Tools For Tomorrow’s Board of Directors. She also volunteers with Preservation Mirage and the Artists Council. Retired from the fashion business, Suzanne is an avid art, film and theatre lover.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Tools for Tomorrow's 25th anniversary fête to honor Joe Giarrusso
