Books, Brushes & Band For Education

Books, Brushes & Bands for Education (BBB4E) is designated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Our mission is to provide children of all backgrounds with opportunities to explore, experience, and engage with literary, visual, and musical arts, nurturing their growth and development.

Books, Brushes & Bands for Education (BBB4E) has connected families to quality arts education since 2000. Over the years, this engagement has taken many forms. These programs began as in-school projects that included 330 students and the staff at Kenwood Elementary in Hammond, IN with a hands-on visual art project, Books Uncovered: Treasures & Triumphs. First Lady of Indiana Judy O’Bannon came to Hammond to kick off the project. Three years later, while consistently developing and implementing additional visual arts initiatives, BBB4E began the Hammond Community Choir. The music program grew to include students from any school or zip code in weekly choir and instrumental group classes. Some highlights from this time include 2012, when the summer choir students performed with Foreigner at the PAV at Wolf Lake; in 2018, the Midwest Youth Choir was invited to perform the National Anthem at the Get Out the Vote Rally in Gary, IN for former President Barack Obama. Since the pandemic, literary programs such as the Book Brigade and Read Across Hammond Week have taken a renewed importance as we see students struggling to connect with the foundations of education and curiosity. Developing enthusiastic students nurtures lifelong learning and is necessary for a future dependable workforce. The Book Brigade, which began in 2013, provides people of all ages with access to free books. Walking door-to-door in neighborhoods with red wagons full of books provides direct access and creates a positive social atmosphere on each block we visit. In Fall of 2023, BBB4E was able to resume this unique method of free book distributions with a brief series of three walks for the first time since COVID-19. Fall 2024 we plan to continue and expand the momentum.