Giving Back - Graystone Builders of New Hampshire

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” -Sir Winston Churchill

An interview with Milagro Donor, David Smith

Thank you to our EXTRAORDINARY Milagro patron, David Smith of Graystone Builders, Inc. of New Hampshire.
In 2017, David, president and founder of Graystone Builders, began donating $5,000 per house that Graystone built and sold, to Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation.

To date, David has donated over $350,000 to support Milagro children!

In 2021, a partnership with Graystone Builders, Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock,) the New Hampshire Department of Arts Education and Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation resulted in the development of a state-wide Modern Band music instruction program. To date, this partnership has trained 42 music teachers who teach thousands of New Hampshire’s children in 32 schools across the state. This program continues to grow with NH state funding, donations and grants.

Below is an excerpt of our interview with David…

Could you share a personal story or experience that highlights the transformative power of music in your own life?

As a young boy, Abraxas by Santana was the third album I ever bought in my life. Carlos has been a mainstay for me over the past 50 years. The music he creates is the whole package. It’s transformative and puts a person into a whole different mindset.

How do you approach philanthropy and community engagement beyond your support for music education? Are there other causes or initiatives that are close to your heart?

Feeding children is close to my heart. Every child needs a meal.
I remember my 4th grade teacher Mr. Ferris who enriched my life in a way that no one else had. It made a huge mark on me. I love helping people. It’s not the money, it’s the feeling I get out of it.

How did you meet Carlos Santana? What was that first encounter like, and how did it lead to you becoming involved in his foundation?

At the time, my CPA and I were vetting charities to begin giving back. At the Santana concert in St. Louis, Missouri in 2017, I heard Carlos mention this concert was going to be helping the kids. I began researching the Milagro Foundation and then the earthquake happened in Mexico in 2017. I sent a check to Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation and have been supporting Milagro ever since.

How do you personally stay connected to the impact of the programs you support? Do you have any favorite moments or interactions that stand out to you?

I stay connected with the people who are making the programs happen for kids. They have the boots on the ground to carry out my vision.

Favorite moment: Marcia, Director of Education (Arts and Music) for New Hampshire Department of Education sent a letter updating me about how well they were doing, getting grants, getting funding from the state legislature…In closing, she stated, “David, none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for you starting the initial program.” That statement meant the world to me.

What motivates you to continue supporting organizations like the Milagro Foundation and Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock)? What drives your passion for making a difference in the lives of young people through music?

As Carlos says, and I agree, it is our responsibility to help the people that need help if we can. I want to pay it forward.

Can you share any advice or words of wisdom for aspiring philanthropists who are looking to make a meaningful impact in their communities?

Donate to causes that give you a warm feeling in your soul and you will never stop.

How do you balance your professional responsibilities as the President of Graystone Builders, Inc. with your philanthropic endeavors?

Everything that we do has a charity hook to it. That is the way we do business. Both my business and my philanthropy go hand in hand…

Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation

The Milagro Foundation is a publicly supported foundation established by Carlos Santana and his family in 1998.

Milagro benefits underserved and vulnerable children around the world by making grants to community based tax-exempt organizations that work with children in the areas of education, health and the arts.

Graystone Builders, Inc. and the Milagro Foundation have been working together since 2019 and are very proud to have accomplished successful matching programs with Conscious Kitchen, Little Kids Rock, End 68 Hours of Hunger, and Three Square.

Learn more about our Charitable Partnership Here

Take a look at The Milagro Foundations interview with Graystone Builders

Three Square

Program fully funded! Food equity for children is a priority for Graystone Builders, Inc. Santana’s residency at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas provides a perfect partnership opportunity among Carlos’ Milagro Foundation, Graystone Builders and Three Square. Graystone’s donation of $50,000 was matched by donors for a total of $100,000 raised for Three Square.

End 68 Hours of Hunger

Offering a matching challenge grant in 2020 from Graystone Builders Inc. and partnering with Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation, $50,000 was raised for the organization in our home state of New Hampshire!

Take a look at our Current Promotion

Conscious Kitchen and Little Kids Rock

Through The Milagro Foundation, Graystone Builders was able to donate $110,000 to the Conscious Kitchen

Conscious Kitchen

In 2019 and 2020, Graystone Builders of New Hampshire donated $110,000 to the Milagro Foundation to benefit the Conscious Kitchen. Conscious Kitchen addresses food equity, education, and access by shifting the paradigm around school food service, while cultivating a local, ecological food system, and building nutrition literacy into meals. Through a collaborative, replicable approach, Conscious Kitchen partners with schools and communities to break the cycle of packaged, overly processed food, transitioning to chef-prepared, scratch-cooked meals created in on-site low-waste kitchens, based on five foundational attributes: fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and nutritious.

Little Kids Rock– Program Fully Funded!

In January of 2020, Graystone Builders expanded its focus to include school music programs. Music programs are usually the first to go when schools need to trim their budget. Music is an extremely important subject for all children to learn and can lead to better brain development, increases in human connection, and even stress relief. As music is removed from schools, children will no longer receive these benefits unless they enroll in private lessons, which are much too expensive for some families to afford (Education, 2017). This is why Graystone Builders and Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation decided to partner up and create a matching grant program to establish and support Little Kids Rock in New Hampshire. Graystone, as well as private donors were able to raise $110,000 for the music program.

LKR LAUNCHES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE!

Since 2002, Little Kids Rock has served more than 850,000 children with the lifelong gift of music-making.

Little Kids Rock partners with public school districts in some of the nation’s most economically disadvantaged communities with the goal of ensuring that all students (K-12) have access to music education and its many benefits.

“With the resources we invest, teachers can have their programs up and running quickly and at no cost to the school. We build on the expertise and skills of teachers and give schools the flexibility to offer classes during regular school hours or as an after-school enrichment program. Once we have started a program at a school, we support it with ongoing investments of curriculum and teacher training”

Visit their Website to learn more!

Learn More about Graystone Builders, Inc. and The Milagro Foundation matching fund program here!

John Davidson’s Club Sandwich

A performance venue in Sandwich, New Hampshire. Graystone Builders, Inc. is proud to be the sponsor of this venue.

Graystone Builders is partnering with Actor & Musician Mr. John Davidson, Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation, Little Kids Rock, and the New Hampshire Department of Education to provide music education in the public schools of New Hampshire.

Attend the event in person at Club Sandwich in Sandwich. Address: 12 Main Street Center Sandwich, Sandwich NH 03227

John Davidson’s Club Sandwich raised $31,000 for Little Kids Rock. Graystone Builders matched the $31,000. Totaling $62,000 to Little Kids Rock of New Hampshire!

Take a look at the Club Sandwich Website to learn more!

Take a look at the Little Kids Rock website

Be Like Brit

Our commitment is to continue the compassion of Britney Gengel by serving the children of Haiti through sustaining a safe, nurturing home rooted in the virtues of Faith, Hope and Love while developing a sense of social responsibility, community involvement and unconditional love.

Our Vision: To raise the next generation of leaders in Haiti.

Scroll through the pictures to see a home that was built in Haiti and funded by Graystone Builders.

Graystone will match any donations made to Be Like Brit up to $5,000. Please call the office to learn more!

Visit their website.

Love for Love City

Love for Love city was created as a fund to channel the right kinds of relief to the people who truly need the help. We are partnering with local charities, with a focus on St. John, to identify needs, create transport for materials, make sure help goes where it’s crucial – and the resources get to the people rebuilding.

Already planeloads of food, water, tools, tarps, generator, medical supplies and clothing have been delivered. We recognize this process is ongoing; not just weeks or months, but years are going to be required to restore the island. Love for Love City is about the sustained effort to support St. John and the entire Virgin Islands.

Working with various national, international, and corporate entities, Love for Love City comes from the heart of No Shoes Nation. We are people who dig in when needed, give when we see struggle and seek to find the best ways to make a difference. Every little bit helps.

Take a look at the email we received from the winner of our Kenny Chesney ticket raffle.

“Sending many thanks one more time and it probably won’t be the last because you can never say it too many times! We received the Kenny Chesney tickets and just, WOW! You weren’t kidding when you said amazing seats! I was just hoping for my first experience at one of his concerts but you guys went over the top. Words cannot express how unbelievably grateful I feel.

You all have such a big heart. The support you are providing to St. John and the Virgin Islands is so incredible. I’m so amazing to see the progress but at the same time not surprised at all. Can’t wait to get back there!”

Graystone was able to raise approxiamtely $70,000 through matching donations for Love for Love City!