As a violin and piano player who has performed with various bands in Florida, Ginny Meredith’s love of music runs deep.
Its life-affirming power helped her cope with chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer and a divorce.
When she learned that a friend had launched a charity in Utah to promote joy and wellness through performing arts for restricted populations that had no access to it, Meredith, of Lake Worth, was inspired to do the same. In 2001, she founded the nonprofit Inspirit.
Inspirit, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, provides free live music performances in nursing homes, drug and alcohol rehab centers, homeless shelters, youth detention centers, the VA Medical Center and other facilities in Palm Beach County where the healing sound of music is needed.
With an annual budget of about $50,000, Inspirit averages 10 to 12 one-hour shows per month. It faces heavy competition for donor dollars.
“We’re the little engine that could,” says Meredith, who runs the charity as executive director with the help of one part-timer. “It’s a labor of love more than anything else. … Even though we’re small, we do big things.”
Inspirit has a roster of musicians and singers who play different genres of music. From jug bands and barbershop quartets to Frank Sinatra impersonators and folk, jazz and country musicians, Inspirit performances are tailored to specific audiences.
The organization has been playing gigs on Facebook Live — and continues to pay its performers — since the COVID-19 restrictions began last year. As facilities gradually relax COVID-19 restrictions, Inspirit is starting to resume live entertainment.
“I’m really glad to be getting back to being live,” Meredith says, adding that there’s a lot of scientific data proving the health benefits of music. “Every time I go to a performance, something magical happens and I’ll be like, ‘Wow, this is why we do this.’ ’’
Meredith says a couple of Inspirit musicians were so impressed by their experience that they returned to school to become music therapists. “We have very appreciative, attentive audiences,” she says. “We’re planting little seeds of joy and happiness. We’re not changing the world, but we do what we can.”
For information, call 561- 670-4537 or visit inspiritlive.org.