Sandwich School District music department gets grant from DeKalb foundation

In May, the DeKalb County Community Foundation awarded $116,100 in Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund Grants to support music education.

The grants benefited 26 nonprofit and public sector organizations in DeKalb County and greater Chicago area.

Sandwich Community Unit School District 430 received $10,000 to buy audio equipment for school performances

“We are honored to be a recipient of a Wurlitzer Grant. The grant supports the purchase of a large audio rack, wireless receivers, bodypacks and microphones,” Sandwich High School Band Director Justin Heinekamp said in a news release from the foundation.

“The upgraded equipment allows us to streamline our current setup, creates a more professional experience for students, boosts audio range for attendees, and instills more confidence in performers with reliable equipment. Thank you to the Community Foundation for supporting musical excellence in our schools through Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund Grants,” Heinekamp said.

The Wurlitzer Company was one of the largest musical instrument companies in the U.S., with a primary manufacturing location in DeKalb. The Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation was established in the 1940s and became a Fund of the Community Foundation in 2012. Today, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund Grant is one of several grantmaking programs at the Community Foundation.

Donations to any Fund at the Community Foundation can be made online at dekalbccf.org/donate or by mail to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178.