NEWBURYPORT — Local piano students are practicing their scales, arpeggios and note reading, but it is not just to make their teacher happy.
Rather, they have been raising money to buy teddy bears for the children at the Turning Point shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
"A teddy bear is such a symbol of love and comfort," said Geri Dorr, president and CEO of Turning Point.
The piano students of Newburyport resident Penny Lazarus donated five cents for every minute practiced, adding up to the cost of a teddy bear that they could purchase at The Dragon's Nest and donate to a child at the shelter.
The 28 students, ranging in age from 6 to 18, raised $600, buying 30 teddy bears.
"Students would come in asking, 'Have I practiced enough for a teddy bear?'" Lazarus said.
Lazarus explained that she and her students wanted bears 'big enough to hug,' but the price was a bit steep for bears that large. Luckily, The Dragon's Nest offered the stuffed animals at wholesale price, allowing for each student to purchase a bear and attach a hand-written note to the neck.
"These (children at the shelter) need comforting," Lazarus said.
Dorr mentioned that there are currently 18 children at the Turning Point shelter, a residence that has assisted more than 400 women.
"These children come in with nothing," Dorr said. "It means a lot."
Both Dorr and Lazarus expressed great thanks to The Dragon's Nest and the reduced-price bears they provided.
Lazarus explained that the program was a great way to encourage her students to practice as well as a way to make them feel more involved with the community, as she described the piano as being a "lonely instrument."
Kelly Conway, a 12-year-old piano student, agreed with Lazarus that the teddy bears provided an additional incentive.
"It made me want to practice more because I knew it was for something that would be helping people," Kelly said.
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