A Bethesda couple is giving Strathmore $1 million for its music and arts education program, the performing arts center announced Wednesday.
The gift from Jim and Carol Trawick is the largest Strathmore has received since its Music Center opened in February 2005, and the largest donation ever from private individuals.
“I hope it sends a message that … the Music Center at Strathmore is alive, well and, after two years, thriving,” Strathmore President and CEO Eliot Pfanstiehl told The Examiner. “And it’s a big invitation to both public and private sectors to put their money where the children’s mouths are.”
The Trawicks’ endowment will benefit children in grades K-12, Pfanstiehl said.
According to Pfanstiehl, the $1 million endowment will generate about $50,000 per year in interest for functions including folk songs for children, a college prep program for students in the performing arts and a spring break camp for underserved youths.
“This gives us the money to bring children into these programs who otherwise couldn’t afford it,” Pfanstiehl said.
The gift will allow Strathmore to triple its education program offerings.
“Education in arts gives life a dimension that is immeasurable,” Carol Trawick said.
Trawick said she hopes her gift will encourage others to donate. “We need to carry it on right now and then pass the baton to others who will carry it forward in the future,” she said.
In November, the Trawicks sold their information technology company, Trawick & Associates of Bethesda, to a private equity firm in New York. Trawick & Associates had several long-term, multimillion-dollar contracts with federal and military agencies.
The Trawicks recently created The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation to benefit Montgomery County human service and arts nonprofit organizations. “We are pleased to be in a place in our life where we have more than we need and we can direct some of our resources to help others,” Carol Trawick said.
