On July 23, many of Austin’s most renowned guitarists joined together with Fender to celebrate Guitars For Swaziland’s first shipment of instruments to the AIDS orphans of Swaziland. The group, which gathered at SoundCheck Austin , included Eric Johnson, Denny Freeman, Monte Montgomery, Redd Volkaert, Bill Carter, Chris Maresh, and GFS founder Stephen Doster, among others. It was truly incredible to see so many greats from Austin’s musical community stand alongside the first 20 guitars bound for Swaziland.
Fender has generously supplied all of the acoustic guitars, as well as the extra strings necessary to keep them sounding fantastic for years to come. We are also incredibly grateful for the contribution of Latin Percussion, which provided a variety of percussion instruments for this first shipment to Africa.
Jeff Van Zandt of Fender Musical Instrument Company commented on the company’s involvement in the project: “Fender strongly believes in music education and sharing the spirit of music with the world. When Stephen told us of his experience in Swaziland and explained what he wanted to do for the kids of Swaziland, his passion was overwhelming.”
He continued: “The unrivaled support from the Austin musicians that have jumped on board to support Stephen and his life-changing foundation falls in line with our passion. Fender is honored to supply the instruments necessary to make this dream a reality and to enrich the lives of children around the world through music.”
Daniel Roark, member of the GFS board, furthered the sentiment: “This photoshoot featuring the actual instruments shipped to Swaziland depicts not only the tremendous generosity of some of Austin’s most noteworthy musicians, but also the relentless effort from so many people in taking Guitars for Swaziland from just a simple idea to a working organization. These first twenty instruments mark the very beginning of our efforts and commitment to support the children of Swaziland.”
While this marks a major milestone for Guitars for Swaziland, our work is only beginning!