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GUITAR CENTER MUSIC FOUNDATION ESTABLISHES RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CARTER CENTER
— Newly created foundational rapport will benefit the constituencies
and visions of both charitable organizations —WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, February 1, 2008 — The Guitar Center Music Foundation, a non-profit institution that advocates for increased music education, founded by Guitar Center, Inc., the leading musical instrument and professional audio retailer, has established a reciprocal relationship with the Carter Center, the non-profit charitable foundation founded by President Jimmy Carter.
The Guitar Center Music Foundation and the Carter Center will help each other pursue their respective goals in a variety of ways. For instance, Guitar Center will steward relationships between the Carter Center and musical instrument manufacturers, who will contribute unique instruments or memorabilia that can be sold through one of the Carter Center’s ongoing charity auctions. These events help fund the many organizations that President Carter and the Center support, such as Habitat for Humanity®. The Carter Center, in turn, will help the Guitar Center Music Foundation promote its message that participation in music is fundamental and an essential element in the fabric of an enduring society.
The connection between the Guitar Center Music Foundation and the Carter Center came about in early September, when Eric Spitzer, a Guitar Center Vice President, attended a tour of the classical guitar maker Manuel Rodriguez & Sons S.L.’s manufacturing facility in Madrid, Spain. The tour had been arranged for President Carter and his wife, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, by Manuel Rodriguez, Jr., the guitar maker’s General Manager and son of world-renowned luthier and company CEO, Manuel Rodriguez Sr. John Martin, longtime friend of the Carters and US Editor of Guitart International, spearheaded the project and introduced the idea of the donation of musical instruments.
The Rodriguez Classical Guitar Company had arranged to donate one specially made guitar per year for eight years that would be signed by President Carter and then auctioned for charity through the Carter Center. Over dinner that evening, as part of a wide-ranging conversation that spanned politics, world events and education, a rapport was struck between Spitzer and President Carter in which each charitable organization agreed to help the other in their own distinctive ways. “We will help the Carter Center find other vendors of unique musical instruments as well as related items that can be auctioned to help fund the humanitarian causes championed by the Center,” Spitzer stated. “In return, the Carter Center will assist us in various ways by promoting the Guitar Center Music Foundation’s message about the importance of music in all of our lives. Meeting and getting to spend time with President Carter was an amazing experience and I’m sure the connection between our respective organizations will be extremely positive in many ways. On a personal note, I’d like to add how much the Guitar Center Music Foundation and I appreciate the help of the Rodriguez family and Rodriguez Classical Guitars in facilitating this relationship.”
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Photo File: President_Carter_Spitzer.JPG
Photo Caption: Shown L-R: Guitar Center’s Eric Spitzer meets with President Jimmy Carter, founder of the Carter Center, to discuss how The Guitar Center Music Foundation and the Carter Center can be working together to help pursue their respective goals.
About the Guitar Center Music Foundation
The Guitar Center Music Foundation was created to provide funding and resources for music programs across America so that kids and adults alike will have an opportunity to experience the joys of music. We also educate the public on the value of a musical education. With your help, we can make a difference in people’s lives by providing them a gift that lasts a lifetime. The Guitar Center Music Foundation believes that music participation is an essential element in the fabric of an enduring society. Our mission is to have the benefits of making music available to everyone in the communities in which we serve, to promote its importance through education and media initiatives, and to provide financial and in-kind resources in collaboration with other organizations to achieve our common goal.About the Carter Center
The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the Atlanta-based Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries.About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 200 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
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