Photo by Brian McMillen via Wikimedia Commons

"As Mike Scutari reports in Inside Philanthropy, jazz legend Sonny Rollins designated a “major gift” to Oberlin College to create the Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble Fund. The creation of another scholarship fund is itself not newsworthy; what makes this case more unusual, however, is that Rollins is explicitly linking the fund to social commitment."Commenting on his gift, Rollins, now 87, says, 'The humanity element has to be a big presence in everything young players do. People are hungry for a reason to live and to be happy. We’re asking these young musicians to look at the big picture, to tap into the universal power of a higher spirit, so they can give people what they need. Giving back to others teaches inner peace and inner spirituality. Everything is going to be open for them if they devote themselves in this way.'”
Article: Sonny Rollins’ New Scholarship Fund Links Jazz to Social Activism