Foundation

In August of 2016, over 30 woodwind and brass instruments were donated through Cannonball Musical Instruments (Elan’s saxophone sponsor), as well as percussion equipment which was donated by Needham Music.

The mission of the program is “Investing in our future through the arts”, with a strong focus on weekly instrumental instruction during the school year. Fundraising is conducted during the annual Barbados Jazz Excursion & Golf Weekend (BJE) through silent auctions, raffle tickets, and a Celebrity Golf Tournament, allowing the program to compensate tutors and ease parents of the burden of paying any fees for their children’s musical instruction.

In 2022, an overwhelming amount of support from the BJE attendees positioned the charity to surpass its fundraising goal due much in part to a fully attended Golf Outing at Sandy Lane Country Club on October 8, with specially invited guests Dr. Desmond Haynes, Sir Paul Altman, BTMI’s Corey Garrett, Y103’s CiCi Reid, NY Knicks Legend John Starks, Long Drive World Champ Maurice Allen, Marcus Anderson (saxophonist with Prince) and Jeff Bradshaw (Trombonist with Patti Labelle). Former celebrity guests include Grammy Winning Drummer Harvey Mason, Legendary Vocalist Jeffrey Osborne, Comedian Chris Spencer, and NBC’s The Voice Season 1 Winner Javier Colon.

Thanks to a successful year of fundraising and donations in 2022, The Never Lose Your Drive Foundation was able to add a 2nd beneficiary to its charitable mission – A Berklee College of Music 5-Week Summer Program Scholarship.

On Saturday, October 8, 2022, 5 young musicians were auditioned at the Barbados Community College under the supervision of Mr. Roger Gittens, and 18-year-old Daniel Harvey was selected as the worthy candidate to receive the inaugural award. Berklee College of Music has graciously offered to waive Daniel’s tuition fees and Headstart will be covering all additional expenses (Flight, Room & Board) for his journey to Boston in June of 2023.

With over 100 graduates over the last 6 years, Headstart continues to make its social and educational contributions to the youth of Barbados through the gift of music.

More info at www.neverloseyourdrive.org