The Toledo Rotary Club Foundation recently awarded a grant in the amount of $9,952 to the Toledo School
for the Arts (TSA). Our Youth Service Committee members received the request, participated in the vetting
process and made the decision to recommend grant approval to our Club Board and Foundation Trustees.
Dave Gierke, Development Director at the Toledo School for the Arts, accepted the grant check at the Monday
Rotary meeting on January 29th. The funds from the grant were used to purchase 3 electronic keyboards.
TSA has never purchased pianos in their 18 year history, but instead have used donated acoustic pianos.
Electronic pianos are easy to move into different spaces for instruction or performances, including performances
at different venues. The electronic pianos also have cost savings associated with them. Due to the
heavy use of their pianos, and the seasonal fluctuations of temperature and humidity in TSA’s 100-year-old
building, TSA has to have their wooden acoustic pianos tuned twice per year. They currently own 13 wood
pianos, which cost some $70 per tuning. Replacing 3 of the acoustic pianos with electric ones will result in a
savings of approximately $420 per year.
Toledo School for the Arts is a public “community” or charter school focused on providing Ohio residents a
college preparatory academic curriculum and an intense visual and performing arts environment. In addition
to core academic subjects, classes are offered in music, dance, theatre and visual arts. TSA provides students
opportunities to work with professional artists to expand their arts experiences and knowledge base. TSA
has ARTnerships with our area’s community and cultural institutions including the Toledo Museum of Art,
the Toledo Symphony, the Toledo Repertoire Theatre, the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, the Toledo
Zoo and others.