Last year, our friend Kathleen donated two fantastic guitars to the Athens Artists Project with one simple goal: get them into the hands of someone who would actually play them.
One was a beautiful Starcaster electric, which is still available. The other? A versatile electric-acoustic ready for everything from bedroom practice to open mics.
Before they went anywhere, both instruments got the full treatment from Frank McDermott at Blue Eagle Music — fresh strings, tune-up, and stage-ready.
Around Christmas, we connected with Austin, a 23-year-old rebuilding his footing here in Athens. He told us he wanted to learn guitar as a lifelong skill — something steady, creative, and his own.
So one of Kathleen’s guitars found its new home. That’s how this works.
A community member donates. A local business steps up. A young person gets an opportunity. And suddenly an instrument that was sitting in a case is making music again. Huge thanks to Kathleen for her generosity and to Frank for always taking care of our donated instruments.
If you’d like to help us keep matching instruments with the right people, you can support our work here: https://www.artistsmemorialproject.org/donate/
Let’s keep the guitars moving.
