Conduct This! Sixten’s Foundation Charity Musical Instrument Auction

Sixten’s Foundation is excited and pleased to announce its Conduct This! Charity Musical Instrument Auction.

From December 8 through December 15, you will be able to bid on remarkable stringed musical instruments such as basses and violins along with bows, lessons, services and accessories generously donated by friends and supporters of Sixten’s Foundation.

Companies like Keiffer’s Violins, Amati Fine Instruments and Kolstein Music have put their music where their mouth is and donated these instruments and other items to Sixten’s Foundation. You will be able to bid on these items, and the proceeds will benefit the foundation and its efforts to help children with cerebral palsy and similar conditions have a better chance at a healthier and happier future.

Check back here soon for updates on the website address of the auction and full descriptions of the items. And remember, the auction ends on December 15, so there will be plenty of time to know if you won and to have the items you successfully bid on delivered to you in time for the holidays. Thank you, and more soon!

Robert and Anna

Happy Birthday Sixten!

We are excited to report that on Sunday, September 28, we celebrated Sixten's 8th birthday! In addition to a few family and friends, Sixten's Foundation board members were present to help recognize this special day for this special guy.












As you can see from the cake, Sixten's Foundation was on everyone's mind, and we asked that donations be made to Sixten's Foundation in lieu of gifts. We'd like to thank everyone for their generosity and support. Sixten was one happy camper!

We really wish we could have invited everyone to join us for this special day. For anyone who still wants to wish Sixten a happy birthday, feel free to drop him a card or note c/o the foundation to:

Sixten Helm Kurz
c/o Sixten's Foundation
P.O. Box 420
Glenn Dale, MD 20769

Thank you!

"Conduct This!" Sixten's Foundation Fundraising Auction

Sixten's Foundation is gearing up for its critical Fall fundraising event, the "Conduct This!" musical instrument charity auction. Buy something to bring music into your lives and Conductive Education into the public school systems that need it.

"Conduct This!" is our online charity auction featuring remarkable musical instruments such as basses, cellos, violins, violas, bows and strings, lessons and service and support from professional luthiers and others for your newly acquired or currently-owned musical instruments. All items are being generously donated by Sixten's Foundation supporters, and all proceeds go to Sixten's Foundation.

How can you own one or more of these remarkable musical instruments?

First, watch this space! Or better yet, send us your e-mail address so we can notify you when the auction website is up and running. Send us your name and e-mail address to sixtensfoundation@gmail.com. This auction will take place later in October.

Second, bid! Read the reviews and descriptions of these amazing, high quality instruments and bid on the ones you must have. Estimates for these items range from a few dollars to over $15,000 for some of the basses and cellos.

How can I help in other ways?

Please, DONATE any spare, quality musical instrument you currently own. We are accepting instruments of all types and in all price ranges. Call or e-mail us to find out more about donating your instrument. You can reach Robert Kurz or Anna Helm Kurz, Sixten's parents, at 240.601.2328 or at sixtensfoundation@gmail.com.

Don't have a musical instrument and don't have the need for one?

Please donate to Sixten's Foundation through this site. We have a PayPal option here, or you can mail your check to:

Sixten's Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 420
Glenn Dale, MD 20769

Thank you, and we wish you successful bidding!

Music to Our Ears: Company Supports Sixten's Foundation. Can yours?

Sixten’s Foundation has been the beneficiary of a corporate fund raising effort by the area musical instrument company Prodigy Instruments (www.prodigyinstruments.com). Earlier this year, Prodigy Instruments announced that it would donate 5% of its sales during the program, and Sixten's Foundation is now in receipt of its first contribution -- a check of over $1,000. (Learn more here: http://www.prodigyinstruments.com/donate_to_sixten.asp)

One of the owners of Prodigy Instruments is Robert Kurz. He is also the president of Sixten's Foundation and the father of the foundation's namesake Sixten, the boy at the center of and the inspiration for the foundation and its mission to improve the lives of children like him. Robert and his business partner Mike Lindvall decided Sixten's Foundation was a natural beneficiary for their efforts. Prodigy Instruments has long been involved with philanthropic endeavors that have benefited the community including the Prodigy Instrument's Philharmonic Donation Project. Read more about that important program here: http://www.prodigyinstruments.com/Donate_To_An_Orchestra.asp

Do you have a company, large or small, that might be able to help Sixten's Foundation with a similar program? If you would like to talk to Robert about it, he would be happy to hear from you. It isn't difficult to establish, and such a program may even help you to increase sales. We will certainly help you to promote it here and among the outreach we have with our extensive and interested mailing lists. Please give Robert a call at Prodigy Instruments at 301.805.9407.

Thanks again to everyone for your continued interest in and support of Sixten's Foundation!

Good Luck, John Deasy. And Thanks.

In considering the impact Prince George’s County Public Schools superintendant John Deasy made to education during his tenure here in Maryland, it may be an historic class of children with cerebral palsy who will most benefit.

It was John Deasy who, with his vision and generosity of time and spirit, ushered in the pilot program that made conductive education an option for these children with severe physical and mental learning disabilities.

From the beginning, Dr. Deasy listened to what the parents of these children had to say and opened the doors to the school district, literally and figuratively, to this important educational curriculum. He demonstrated remarkable insight in looking past the status quo when it came to improving how these children learn. By rallying support within the school district from the top down to join the enthusiastic parents working from the bottom up, he cultivated the healthy and successful conductive education program now serving as a national model in Prince George’s County. Because of Dr. Deasy and the supportive educators and administrators working with him, this district is now responsible for some of the area’s most challenged students learning and wanting to learn beyond what was previously available to them.

The Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation is fortunate to have you join them. Please know that Sixten’s Foundation and its friends and supporters wish you the best of luck with your new vocation. We are not sure we will ever be able to adequately thank you for positively affecting the future of so many children, but know that what you did will always remain in our hearts and minds.

Ways You Can Help Sixten’s Foundation

We are pleased to be asked by many of you how you can help us to achieve our goals here at Sixten’s Foundation. We are grateful for your interest and expressions of support, and we have identified some specific areas where people can help.

Please know that Sixten’s Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your contributions are tax deductable, whether you donate through PayPal or mail us a contribution directly, we can provide you with whatever related documentation you need. For those of you who have already been so generous in helping us, thank you. If you have not heard from us personally, you will shortly. We have been somewhat overwhelmed with all of the recent “back to school” activity and the conductive education program.

Please look for further updates here about ways to help.

A Message from the President:

In the course of my awareness-building and fundraising duties for Sixten’s Foundation, I recently had the pleasure of meeting with several principals from the Law Firm of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A. (www.shulmanrogers.com) This firm practices all types of law, whether it be providing immigration services to estate planning. Additionally, SRGP&E represents many families in need who are faced with long-term care solutions for children who have been the victim of preventable birth injuries…often resulting in the condition we know as Cerebral Palsy.

What really impressed me about this meeting was the warm reception I received with respect to Sixten’s Foundation and their clear understanding about our goals to introduce Conductive Education within the public school setting. It was obvious that their compassion extends well beyond the courtroom, and that they have genuine interest in the well being of these children and their future progress. We are thrilled that they recognize the benefits that Conductive Education can provide to our special children with Cerebral Palsy.

We are very grateful to Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A, for their very generous financial pledge and assistance in helping us strive to reach our goal to introduce Conductive Education within America’s public schools!

As I encounter other companies that have demonstrated a desire to help our Foundation that may be of interest to you, I will include information about them here. The more we all know about the options available to us in improving the health and safety of our families, the better.

Thank you.

Robert Kurz, President
Sixten’s Foundation