My charitable donation this month went to a 16 year-old violinist from the Oakland area named Casadora Boone. Cassie, as she is often called, is trying to raise enough money to go on tour to Cuba with her youth orchestra this summer. The cost of the trip is nearly $4000, a large sum of money for anyone, but in Cassie's case she needs to raise double this amount. Here's why...

Cassie is a Type 1 diabetic. She's trying to raise $8,000 in order to join the youth orchestra on tour, as well as take her mom along. Her mom is active in her medical care - including knowing the signs of a diabetic emergency and helping Cassie to administer her insulin - and it would be dangerous for Cassie to go on the trip without her. So she essentially needs to raise enough money to cover two travelers.

A good friend of mine who teaches in the Oakland school system posted the link to Cassie's campaign on Facebook, and I was immediately drawn to her story because of my own experiences traveling abroad as a young violinist. At 14, I went on a summer tour of Europe with the International Youth Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra connected to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (which you may remember was last month's donation recipient). It truly changed my life. I can't overstate this. It was absolutely incredible on numerous levels, and the opportunity is one that I will never ever take for granted.

I would love to see as many young musicians as possible have the chance to experience traveling abroad. So when I saw Cassie's story, I immediately knew that she would receive this month's donation.

I really hope Cassie reaches her goal and is able to travel with the orchestra. If you'd like to donate to Cassie and help her and her mom get to Cuba, you can find her Go Fund Me page here.