The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce presented the Whitley Community Children’s Choir, an ensemble of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, the Jewel of the Community award at its annual recognition dinner, October 27. Criteria for the award includes:

· A member in good standing in the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce;

· A strong commitment to the betterment of this community;

· Excelling in the areas of hiring, training, education, community involvement or economic

development

· Awarded based on the quality and impact of the contribution.

The Whitley Community Children’s Choir is the only children’s choir in Whitley County offering an after-school music education program that offers a curriculum that challenges children musically through singing, while learning a discipline that serves them throughout their lifetime. Participation in the program provides the platform for children from different backgrounds and cultures to discover their individual voice and at the same time be part of a larger collaborative performance that artistically enriches their lives and the community-at-large.

The Whitley Community Children’s Choir annually performs in the Columbia City Santa Parade, Christmas at the Courthouse, Fall Festival, Farmer’s Market, at a local nursing home, and with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Whitley County Holiday Pops. The ensemble has performed The National Anthem at the Whitley County Consolidated Schools board meeting and provided a program for the Peabody Public Library Volunteer Recognition.

Directed by Whitley County music educator, Becky Walter, the local ensemble gives Whitley County area children the opportunity to be a part of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, an organization that strives to be recognized as one of the finest choirs in the nation because of excellence in musical education, the diversity of membership, and the quality of contributions to the community’s cultural life.