The SPEBSQSA Charitable Mission

During the past 10 years, SPEBSQSA leaders have been seriously examining the SPEBSQSA Charitable Mission and our relationship with Heartspring (formerly the Institute of Logopedics). In November 2000, the SPEBSQSA Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution declaring that, “it shall be the Charitable Mission of SPEBSQSA to preserve our musical legacy through support of vocal music education in our schools and communities.” This change has created some confusion and we trust the facts presented in this document will help to educate SPEBSQSA supporters on why the change had to be made.

In 1949, The Institute of Logopedics was first brought to the attention of the SPEBSQSA leadership by the Wichita, Kansas Chapter. Logopedics was this chapter’s local charity and, at that time, a speech correction center which treated hundreds of children. Logopedics had plans to create local clinics or field centers across the nation. That plan never materialized and Logopedics evolved into Heartspring, where Barbershoppers supported a residential school program with space for a maximum of 40 students.

In 1964, when the Society adopted The Institute of Logopedics as its Unified Service Project, one of the major reasons was that, “music plays a major therapeutic role in communicating with patients.” Today, Heartspring does not have a music therapy program. The Society has offered to help fund music research that could benefit thousands of children, but Heartspring has declined this offer.

Logopedics was also selected as a Service Project so SPEBSQSA, “could play a major role and not be merely one of many supporting organizations.” Today, Heartspring has the generous support of six other patron organizations.

In 1964, few public schools were staffed and equipped to deal with multi-challenged students. In 1975, landmark legislation, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act passed by the United States Congress, made it mandatory that each school district in the country provides education for every student within its boundaries, regardless of physical or mental disabilities. This also allows Heartspring to obtain money from states and school districts for their residential students.

During the past 37 years, Barbershoppers have contributed more than $16 million dollars through Harmony Foundation to Logopedics/Heartspring. Additionally, Barbershoppers have helped Heartspring pay for a state-of-the-art $14 million dollar campus, a $4 million endowment fund, and the Shaklee Institute for research.

With Barbershoppers’ help, Heartspring is in a positive financial position. In 1999 and 2000 combined, Heartspring reported $4,292,441.00 of operational income over expenses. Additionally, Heartspring reported 2000 total assets of $25,173,957.00 and total liabilities of $731,109.00, resulting in total net assets of $24,442,848.00. SPEBSQSA can be proud of helping to put Heartspring on sound financial footing.

For more than 10 years, SPEBSQSA leaders have been examining our Charitable Mission and evaluating the change in direction Heartspring has taken from the original intent of our relationship. This examination was conducted by the Society Board of Directors, the Society’s Marketing Committee, a special task force in 1994, the Future 2001 Committee in 1995, and it culminated with the Charitable Mission Task Force recommendations in 2000. Throughout this process Heartspring officials were aware of the considerations and, indeed, commended the Society’s move to make our Charitable Mission more focused on vocal music.

If SPEBSQSA was an organization just being formed today and was searching for a charitable cause that would be closely associated with our musical fraternity, the preceding facts would not point to Heartspring as they did to Logopedics nearly 40 years ago. SPEBSQSA leaders have now chosen to return to music as the major focus of our charitable mission. This, too, is based on many facts.

Singing is disappearing from our culture. Choirs and choruses are shrinking in numbers or disappearing altogether. During the last several decades many schools have experienced funding challenges and school music programs have suffered cuts eliminating, or severely reducing the quantity and quality of music education.

In the past three years alone Barbershoppers—individuals, quartets and chapters—have supported 42 grants totaling nearly $250,000 to community and school music programs all over the U.S. and Canada. We estimate that nearly 10,000 people, mostly young people, have directly benefited from the grants, and more than 50,000 parents and audience members have indirectly been touched.

Barbershoppers have also funded 15 Harmony Explosion Camps that have given over a thousand young men and their teachers a weekend of choral music and barbershop harmony education and fellowship.

Vocal music has turned many young lives from destructive to positive endeavors. We have received letters and testimonials from students, parents and teachers thanking us for our help. We also know from nationally acclaimed studies that music builds mental and social skills in young people, and can also have therapeutic value.

As we close one successful era and open a new and exciting one, we now have the opportunity to make a colossal difference in our world. Thank you for your continued support of the SPEBSQSA Charitable Mission and Harmony Foundation. Working together, we can help thousands—today and in the future—Sing…for life!

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