Americans for the Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors is pleased to present  VH1 Save The Music Foundation with a special recognition award for excellence in arts programs for youth.

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America’s public schools by restoring music programs in cities across the U.S. and by raising public awareness about the importance of music participation for our nation’s youth.   Since VH1 Save The Music was created in 1997, more than $10 million worth of musical instruments has been donated to 500 public schools, improving the lives of more than 200,000 children. The ten-year goal is to bring music participation to at least one million kids.  VH1 Save The Music and its partners conduct awareness campaigns, musical instrument drives, and fundraising events in conjunction with public schools to help restore instrumental music programs. In addition, the campaign utilizes ongoing celebrity public service announcements, government affairs efforts, web site resources, fundraising, and other special events, and VH1 programming such as the annual “VH1 Divas” and “Men Strike Back” specials. “We are very pleased to honor John Sykes and the VH1 Save the Music foundation, who have stepped in to fill a huge need for children across the country,” noted Americans for the Arts’ President and CEO Robert Lynch.  “Music matters to children and VH1 matters to music.”