Miss Wallace M. Leonard Foundation Offers SSC $20K Challenge Grant for #GivingTuesday

The Miss Wallace M. Leonard Foundation has offered a generous $20K matching gift challenge grant to inspire donors to contribute to South Shore Conservatory’s (SSC) #GivingTuesday campaign. #GivingTuesday 2014, which takes place on December 2, following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, focuses national attention on a day dedicated to philanthropic giving. For every dollar donated to SSC on December 2, the Miss Wallace M. Leonard Foundation will match that contribution up to a total of $20K, doubling their commitment of last year’s campaign.

The late Miss Leonard was committed to expanding opportunities for those who would otherwise go without, and had a deep respect for education, helping the disadvantaged and supporting human achievement. This enhanced challenge in support of SSC’s #GivingTuesday campaign recognizes both Miss Leonard’s generosity and SSC’s mission of building community through the arts.

Last year was the first year SSC joined thousands of non-profit organizations in #GivingTuesday, a movement which has transformed how people participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday invites donors to take action by giving back to the charities and causes they support. Last year, with the support of over 60 donors, SSC surpassed its own $10K #GivingTuesday fundraising goal, raising over $30K for children to participate in SSC’s transformational programs. With the Foundation’s increased matching challenge in 2014, SSC hopes to raise more than $40K in less than 24 hours to fund care for buildings and grounds at its two campuses, and support educational programming.

To join SSC’s #GivingTuesday initiative, please visit www.sscmusic.org.

About South Shore Conservatory
South Shore Conservatory (SSC), recently recognized as a national model for arts education by the National Guild for Community Arts Education, is celebrating more than 44 years of enriching the lives of South Shore residents through music and the arts. SSC was founded as a not-for-profit community music school in 1970 and now has two beautiful campuses in Hingham and Duxbury. Currently serving over 3500 students of all ages and abilities, SSC is the largest community school for the arts in Massachusetts. Students participate in more than 50 diverse programs in music, dance and drama. SSC’s Hingham campus is located at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, 781-749-7565. SSC’s Duxbury campus is located at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury, 781-934-2731. SSC is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education. SSC programs are supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information call us, follow us on Facebook or vis¬it www.sscmusic.org.

South Shore Conservatory admits students and families of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.

About #Giving Tuesday
#Giving Tuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on December 2, 2014. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners – charities, families, businesses and individuals – to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will arness the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

A team of recognized experts and influencers, initially convened by leaders of 92nd Street Y and supported by a core group of founding partners, originally spearheaded this effort. Founding partners in 2012 included United Nations Foundation, DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever and VentureThree Capital. Leaders in philanthropy, social media, innovative giving, grassroots organizing, marketing and communications are providing counsel and resources to help build this movement.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participant and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit www.givingtuesday.org.