The Darrel Johnston Kids Instrument Lending Library Gets a New Director

Nov 9, 2009 | Welcome Column

Bruce M. Long, a CBA member and longtime enthusiast of Bluegrass music will
begin taking over as the new manager of The Darrell Johnston Kids Instrument Lending Library beginning November 2, 2009. Bruce lives in Roseville, Calif. and his e-mail address for the kids instrument lending library will be kidslendinglibrary@g-mail.com
This is a little different as it used to be yahoo.com. Please e-mail him if you want to donate instruments or know of any children that needs any instruments or just to offer your support.

Steven and I would like to welcome Bruce to this position and we are both very pleased with this choice. We feel that Bruce really has the enthusiasm and excitement to take this program to another level and he has some great ideas to make that happen.

Please help support Bruce so that this incredible program will continue to grow and make many more children happy!

Over the past year, I have found that I have been able to spend less and less time on this program and when Bruce came to me one day and told me how much he thinks about this program and why, he asked if there was anything that he could help with in any way. He told me that when he was a kid, he too could not have an instrument and this kind of program would have made such a difference for him. So as we talked we decided that he could become my liaison in the Central Valley, take some of the instruments and house them at his house so that when I had children in that direction it would be much easier for him to take care of those areas. An agreement was made that we both liked. By October of this year however, I asked him if he would like to take over altogether with maybe my being his assistant and he eagerly agreed. On November 2, 2009 Bruce came to my house and we spoke for a long time about the program, the instruments, the luthiers, the donors and about the kids and families that receive these instruments and the very touching stories behind the need of some of these families for these instruments. During this afternoon with Bruce I really began to believe that I had chosen someone with a real passion for this program, one that had great ideas that would make it grow. By the end of the afternoon we loaded up the instruments and I watched, with tears in my eyes as he drove away. I really had mixed feelings of letting go of something that Steven and I had a passion for and started in Darrell’s name, but also at peace that the right person with the right excitement and dreams for the lending library has taken this program under his wings. I will continue to accept instruments that happen to be in the Bay Area and then forward them on to Bruce. I will continue to have the kidslendinglibrary@yahoo.com for a while and forward any e-mail that comes to me on to Bruce.

This has been an incredible experience for us and we are very proud of what we have accomplished and think that Darrell Johnston would be very pleased, indeed, to see that his dream not only came true but has also gone so far to help so many!

We would like to thank EVERYONE that has been so supportive of this program and us. We couldn’t have done it without all of you generous people, from the donors of instruments and financial help as well as the wonderful luthiers that gave their time and sometimes instruments and parts and to all the friends that encouraged and helped in other ways and to the CBA Board of Directors that was always supportive and gave us the O.K. to create this program. Special thanks to Jim Hyatt of the 5th String in Berkeley who was such a HUGE part of this too. Jim gave so much in instruments, bows, cases strings and so much more plus always a big bear hug and lots of support. You are awesome Jim! What a ride it has been! Please continue your support of Bruce so he can take it to new heights! Jim Hyatt of the 5th String in Berkeley, Bruce Sexauer, Michael Lewis, Steve Joynes, Monte Hendricks of Hendricks Banjos have all given to the Instrument Lending library so please support them with music needs.

Thanks to all for your support and your gifts for the kids.

<

Read about: