Ravinia is proud to announce the Building the Future of Reach Teach Play campaign, designed to achieve two goals:
- to provide our heralded Reach Teach Play music education and engagement programs with the underpinning they need as they grow and inspire more children and families than ever before
- to develop The Harrison, a building on the Ravinia campus that will become the nexus of RTP by creating much-needed office space for staff through the renovation of an existing structure
Continued Growth and New Branches
Reach Teach Play has long been a source of great pride for Ravinia, from humble beginnings that provided access to concert tickets for those who otherwise would not be able to attend, to its current suite of 12 distinct programs that Reach out to new audiences, Teach the foundations of music, and encourage students to Play music.
During the pandemic, these programs shifted quickly to provide the healing role of music virtually in a time of need. But despite the great success and impact of the programs, that growth has been under-funded. This campaign will raise a minimum of $10 million to right-size program operations so that they can springboard to even greater impact in the coming years.
The Future Home of Reach Teach Play
Ravinia’s administrative offices were built in 1995, pre-dating any professional staffing of these education programs. Today, RTP’s full-time staff of 12 far outstrips the space available to them in these offices. In response to this need, we are repurposing and extensively renovating an existing building at the south entrance to the park, adjacent to Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. This building will house the Reach Teach Play offices as well as provide updated workspace for our facilities and guest services efforts, and will serve as the beating heart of Ravinia, focused on bringing the joy of music that we feel here in the park out to communities with fewer cultural options.
With Your Help, We Can REACH Even Further
We're not just at the park! Over 225 schools and communities across the Chicagoland area are served through our programs each year, ensuring that the joy of music remains accessible to all! Yearly, over 75,000 community members and 200 social service agencies particpate in our programs.