Eddie Van Halen donated 75 guitars to low-income schools
Keeping up his status as one of the nicest guys in rock, it’s emerged that Eddie Van Halen has gifted 75 guitars to schools with low incomes.
According to a report by CNN, Eddie sent the guitars to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation a while back, who then forwarded them on to schools without the budget to buy ‘non-essential’ items like musical instruments.
Explaining why he made his donation, Eddie said: "My whole life has been music. I could not imagine anything else. It's a must. It has to be taught.
"It was very difficult at first to find a charity that (takes guitars). They all just wanted money."
Fortunately, he found an outlet to honour his pledge via Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation which hands out 1,800 instruments a year to schools without music programs benefitting an estimated 10,000 students.
Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation’s president and CEO Felice Mancini said: "It's the gift that keeps on giving. The kids share the guitars, they learn, they graduate and then the instruments stay in the school."
He continued: "Our goal is to give kids every tool they can possibly have to succeed. Music is the common denominator. You put a kid in a music class and it builds community, communication and they find a place. It's a safe haven.
"Music is such a necessity. It touches people's souls. Music is the universal language to me. It transcends everything."
Earlier this month, Eddie made a terminally ill fan’s dying wishes come true by calling him via FaceTime for an in-depth chat.