OUR BLOG
Donor Spotlight: Rhonda Haley
“The Institute has done some incredible things, and children have come out feeling loved,” says Rhonda Haley who was introduced to the Institute of Music 14 years ago when her daughter Chelsea (now a professional singer and Institute Teaching Artist) and her son Quincy attended the Institute as students and then Youth Leaders.
Now, with both adult children in established teaching careers, Rhonda continues to be actively involved in the community. Besides being a world traveler and lover of music, she volunteers at the Institute, introduces others to our work and serves as an incredible spokesperson for the long-term impact that the Institute has on our families.
Rhonda and her daughter, Ms. Chelsea, who is a Teaching Artist at the Institute
“When kids walk in, they walk in the door one way and they walk out another way, she comments. “It opens up their whole world.”
As a long-time Institute parent, Rhonda highlights the importance of investing in the Institute and our future, ensuring no child is turned away. “I know what it takes to budget a home and household finances. In order for the Institute to help, it’s going to take not only people, time and effort...it’s also going to take money. I want to be a part of that.”
With great enthusiasm for our upcoming building project, Rhonda has joined the Institute’s Imagine 2026 Committee which will engage Institute donors, families, and other stakeholders in our exciting campus expansion. “I can only imagine what will happen once this project is completed for more children and within the community. The building project is just a huge, huge milestone.”
It’s thanks to people like Rhonda, Chelsea and Quincy--who show up fully for the Institute community--that students feel cared for. “What is important to me is seeing children grow up healthy, ultimately becoming productive citizens of our society. [That’s] the foundation, and the Institute is what makes that happen for so many children like mine.”