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Haslam family makes $4.5 million donation to Northeast Ohio music scene

Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have made a sizable donations to the Cleveland Orchestra, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Playhouse Square.
Credit: David Richard
Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, right, and his wife, Dee Haslam, walk to the playing field prior to an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Cleveland. Baltimore won 33-27. (AP Photo/David Richard)

The music scene in Northeast Ohio got a little bit richer on Thursday thanks to a sizable donation from Dee and Jimmy Haslam.

According to the Cleveland Browns, the team's owners have donated $4.5 million to ensure "Cleveland will never lose the importance of its storied music history."

Included in the Haslam family's donation is a $1 million gift to the Cleveland Orchestra that will "go toward furthering its goal of bringing people of all ages closer to music."

“We love the opportunity to bring a world renowned music experience by The Cleveland Orchestra into the classroom,“ Dee Haslam said in a statement. “One Cleveland Orchestra Education program that we connect with especially is Mindful Music Moments, which exposes children daily to beautiful music by The Cleveland Orchestra, helping them focus and prepare for their day of work in the classroom and also give them tools that they can, ideally, utilize later in life in the form of mindfulness techniques. We are thrilled to be part of such a positive and productive way to help children start their day.”

Credit: Matt Florjancic
Owner Dee Haslam and country music star Brad Paisley talk while watching a drill at Cleveland Browns Training Camp on Friday, August 2, 2019.

Meanwhile, $2.5 million of the donation will go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to support its education programs and establish the Haslam Scholars Program, which will provide free admission and expert classroom instruction to CMSD students and Title 1 schools across Ohio.

“Eliminating barriers and providing equal access for admission to all the wonderful musical and educational elements within the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is important to our family,” said Dee Haslam, who’s also a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame board member. “We are excited to create the Haslam Scholars Program and help foster a deeper appreciation and understanding of music for students throughout the state of Ohio."

The final $1 million of the Haslam's donation will go to the Disney Musicals in Schools program from Playhouse Square.

“We have been fortunate to experience the wonderful performances by the Disney Musical in Schools program at Playhouse Square,” Dee Haslam said. “It is so rewarding to see the confidence created and instilled within these youth participants and know how that will positively impact them later in life. To see how the family members are involved in the process, and the resulting camaraderie and team building that occurs is fantastic.”

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