The Rose Rees Peace Award
commemorates Rose Rees, who died in 1935 while serving as president of National
Council of Jewish Women's Minneapolis Section, and who was passionate about
international relations and world peace. NCJW annually awards graduating
seniors from 18 area high schools who have demonstrated a commitment to these
same principals of international relations and world peace with the Rose Rees
Peace Award.
This year's Southwest High recipient
is Francesca Dawis. Her vision of world peace, submitted as an essay to
the National Council of Jewish Women, is reprinted here:
When I was six years old, I kept my
neighbors up at night with the squeaks of my 1/8-sized violin (named Audrey)
and my screechy “singing” (mostly screaming). Eleven years, hundreds of
lessons, and thousands of practice hours later, music is still as awe-inspiring
and just plain fun as it was when I was a beginner. But it’s hard not to feel
guilty sometimes—I have the privileges of a house, clothes, food, and music lessons while others don’t
have the means to find a meal. During my sophomore year, I began to wonder how
I could use music to open opportunities for others. Since then, I have worked
to make an immediate impact on the problem of homelessness in
Minneapolis—especially for children—through music. With the help of my church,
St. Thomas the Apostle, I host and organize concerts to benefit the SOAR
Program of Simpson Housing Services, which is dedicated to helping children in
transitional housing get back on track at school through tutoring and parenting
workshops.
I act as singer, violinist, and
producer for the concerts. I gather musician friends, arrange repertoire,
direct rehearsals, and set up the stage. I treat the concerts as an opportunity
to showcase music as diverse as the families that Simpson serves; we fit classical
concertos, Broadway showtunes, and indie rock hits all on the same program.
Walking out onstage to greet our audience and seeing so many familiar faces
united in support of Simpson is exhilarating. So far, over 1,000 people have
attended four concerts and donated over $9,000—the equivalent of more than a
year's worth of rent for a family. Most importantly, the children in SOAR are
receiving the guidance they need to overcome obstacles and find scholastic
success. Our partnership has been the most fulfilling experience of my high
school years, by far.
I’m now
setting my goals even higher. I believe that children living in underprivileged
situations can turn their lives around with music, and I want to raise
additional funds to start a music lessons program at an elementary school
located in a poor neighborhood. My biggest inspiration is El Sistema, a
Venezuelan state foundation that oversees the country’s 125 youth orchestras
and instrumental training programs.
Seventy to ninety percent of the students involved are from poor
socio-economic backgrounds. El Sistema recognizes that a musical
foundation—which teaches discipline, perseverance, and the importance of
sacrifice for a goal—can help a child break out of poverty.
I know how to use my own musical
abilities to make a difference in the lives of others, and I believe that a
musical education has the potential to open doors for impoverished youth. The
world needs more organizations like El Sistema and Simpson Housing Services. If
we focus on supporting disadvantaged children with resources and education, we
will be closer to breaking the seemingly never-ending cycle of poverty and one
step closer to world peace.
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