Andy Barnett and Jim Lamport making a much needed deposit for Southern Humboldt School’s music program

Yesterday, the CIA was seen in Garberville.  But not the Central Intelligence Agency.  This was the Cash Infusion Action (CIA), a the brainchild of Andy Barnett.  According to Clover Willison,

He approached us at Schools Foundation quite a while back. [He] wanted to do his part to help support and keep music alive in the schools. Currently the music program is funded partially by the school district and partially by SOS. We lost Paul and Saundra Smollingers music program at Redway last year, mainly due to lack of funding. They always did the 6th / 7th grade band and choir program. We have managed to keep Hal Lepof on and he provides music to Kindergarten through 5th grade I believe because he does his own private fundraising.

Andy Barnett chose to jump on board in a similar fashion and begin raising money to pay for one block of music at Redway School. He reached out to all of his local musician friends, as well as sent a letter home targeting parents of children who would benefit from the program. As of yesterday the total raised was somewhere in the ballpark of $11,000.

Barnett had several musicians meet him in front of the Community Credit Union of Southern Humboldt to play a little music and see if they could peek pique interest. Finally, he and Jim Lamport, dressed and role-playing as CIA agents entered the Credit Union and began counting the cash and checks.

“Just another way this community continues to rise to the occasion where the state fails us,” explained Willison.

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Photo by Clover Willison