Central Dakota Children’s Choir (CDCC) is inspiring tomorrow’s voices and instilling a love for singing through the performance of fine choral music. Students are provided with a unique choral education and experience, which in turn enriches the artistic community of Central North Dakota.

This Giving Hearts Day, CDCC came in second place for Donor Retention. Their donor support was due largely in part to their campaign to highlight the outcomes of past support, using testimonials to demonstrate how CDCC impacts the lives of not only their singers, but also their families. These important stories were pushed through their annual appeal letter, newsletter, GHD mailings, email, and social media.

Funds raised this Giving Hearts Day will allow them to expand and enhance their elementary music classes and outreach programs, giving even more children access to high-quality choral performances and a nurturing environment where they can aspire to their highest level of musical artistry and personal development. These gifts will also supplement scholarships as well as current and strategic programming impacting underserved constituents in the community.

Each year, nearly 15,000 audience members come to see the CDCC students perform. These hundreds of young people come from nearly every local private and public school and even from home schools. These participants come to the program driven by their passion to sing and their desire to hone their skills and abilities through challenging literature, under the guidance of award-winning educators.

While they come to learn the art of singing, they leave with so much more. Through this program, they are able to meet students they may have never met otherwise and create a circle of forever friends. In turn, they acquire a sense of community and receive the social, emotional, and physical benefits of being in a choral ensemble. 

The CDCC even provides more than $6,000 in tuition assistance and scholarships to ensure that a singer’s financial situation does not create a barrier to participation. In fact, donors can play a big role in ensuring students have access to the program. They can commit to donating $25/month for 3rd and 4th grade choir or $45/month for high school choirs.

These financial gifts create a much bigger gift for CDCC students – a community to harness their craft and build lifelong friendships.

GHD Awards are co-sponsored by Bush Foundation and Dakota Medical Foundation.