LONG ISLAND MUSIC CLASSES RAISE $22,660 TO SUPPORT LONG ISLAND CARES THROUGH HARRY CHAPIN PRACTICE-A-THON

HAUPPAUGE, NY – Monday, July 18, 2016 – More than 30 schools on Long Island participated in the annual “Harry Chapin Practice-A-Thon” to benefit Long Island Cares, Inc. the regional food bank founded by the late singer, Grammy Award winning songwriter, and social activist in 1980. Students enrolled in music classes practiced their instruments during the month of March and collected pledges of $0.1 or higher per minute, and raised a total of $22,660 for Long Island’s regional food bank.  The funds will be used to purchase food for the more than 300,000 people on Long Island that struggle with domestic hunger and high food insecurity including 87,000 children.
The goal of the “Harry Chapin Practice-A-Thon” is to strengthen students’ practice habits while supporting our local food bank, said Peggy Rakas, Music Teacher in the North Merrick School District who founded the Practice-A-Thon with Long Island Cares. According to Paule T. Pachter, Chief Executive Office of Long Island Cares, “Since it began, students have raised more than $80,000 through Practice-A-Thon to support the regional food bank and in the process they have learned about children’s hunger and good nutrition.  They have had a significant impact upon our work and have participated in other efforts that we sponsor including our free “Concert for Children’s Hunger Awareness” featuring Tom Chapin and Friends which is being held at the Staller Center at SUNY Stony Brook on Thursday, November 3, 2016.”
The Harry Chapin Practice-A-Thon is sponsored by D’Addario and Company. For more information on how your school can participate, call (631) 582-3663 Ext 105 or visit www.licares.org.