FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra recently won a grant to the tune of $100,000 from the John William Pope Foundation.
Nearly 30 organizations from across the state submitted proposals for the foundation’s first Joy Pope Memorial Arts Grant. The symphony’s winning project was announced during a recent ceremony in downtown Fayetteville.
“The project submitted by the Fayetteville Symphony was unique and an excellent use of one-time funds,” John Hood, president of the Pope Foundation, said in a statement.
The money will be used to establish a library that lends instruments to young musicians. Christine Kastner, the symphony’s president and CEO, says the lending library is designed to help students who “are eager to participate [in music education], but can’t afford the opportunity.”
“This grant will be transformational for the Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra and for music education in Southeastern North Carolina,” Kastner said in a statement.
Students who participate in the symphony’s youth orchestra will have access to the library. There are 50 students enrolled in the youth orchestra across Robeson, Hoke, Moore, Lee and Cumberland counties.
“We hope this new initiative by the symphony will inspire other arts organizations as they work to find innovative ways to serve their communities,” Hood said.
John William Pope, the foundation’s namesake, was a Henderson philanthropist who ran Variety Wholesalers. The company’s portfolio consists of more than 380 stores, including Roses, Maxway and Super 10 locations.
His wife Joy Pope is the grant’s namesake and former president of the foundation. She is described in a press release as a “dedicated patron of arts and human service organizations.”
Headquartered in Raleigh, the John William Pope Foundation was founded in 1986 and has donated more than $100 million to various nonprofits and civic groups. For information, visit jwpf.org.
