Santa Barbara is a city with many non-profit organizations and many opportunities to get involved with and help the community. Kristi Marks, the marketing director at Saks Fifth Avenue, chooses a local nonprofit each year to donate a portion of sales from the Saks annual fall beauty event. This year in particular, Saks is choosing Girls Rock Santa Barbara as its nonprofit organization. Girls Rock Santa Barbara was established by Jen Baron in 2012 in order to create a program that helps to instill confidence in girls ages 6-17 through music. Jen Baron then launched her first summer program, which ended up attracting 100 girls. Increasing from 100 to 600 girls, the organization now has an after-school program that is available five days a week. 

This organization is not like any other in Santa Barbara—this art program uses music to send messages of self-empowerment and mentoring. Girls Rock focuses on the importance of leadership, team building, and its investment in diversity in order to prevent low self-esteem that may negatively affect the girls in their futures. Girls are brought together from many different backgrounds and placed into an environment that helps with self-confidence, tolerance, collaboration, and provides a safe space for them to express themselves. Baron teaches the girls through music lessons, workshops and group oriented activities, skills to help them throughout their lives and give them the ability to create music without perfection or judgements. The point is not to teach the girls necessarily to play an instrument, but to help them find their individual voice.

Girls Rock Santa Barbara's performance will take place at 2pm on November 23rd at the SOhO Restaurant & Music Club!

Read the Nookhawk article here.