For the past decade, thousands of people in Birmingham, Alabama and beyond have spent countless hours watching, performing, and learning music at the Firehouse in South Avondale. It is a community hub where people connect and create together. Eric Wallace purchased the building ten years ago and has lived, worked, and performed music there since day one. Now, Eric and a collective of Birmingham musicians are reimagining the building as a creative learning space and nonprofit organization named the Firehouse Community Arts Center.

We are excited to announce that the Firehouse Community Arts Center will officially launch in February 2021. The Firehouse’s vision is a diverse and connected music community where artists of all ages use their creative voices to shape the future. At the Firehouse, young people who live in the nearby neighborhoods will have access to one-on-one, interest-based music lessons that focus on guitar, bass, drums, piano, production, and songwriting. Also, students will have access to fully equipped practice spaces and, eventually, a recording studio.

The Firehouse will employ professional musicians from the Birmingham area, and the organization will ensure everyone is paid a fair wage and treated with respect.

So far, Eric and his team have financed everything out of their own pockets, so we’re coming to the Birmingham community with a big ask: Help us Build The Firehouse. Through the Build The Firehouse campaign, we aim to raise $70,000 so we can purchase equipment for the practice spaces, offer scholarships to kids in the Avondale neighborhoods, hire a couple team members, and help offset the cost of the renovations. You can help us make this happen! If you value music education, and you believe that writing and performing songs with other people is a powerful experience that can strengthen social connections, then join us! Show your support for a space that will change lives, serve as a good neighbor to the residents of Greater Avondale, and fairly employ working musicians who may not be able to tour for the foreseeable future. This is a chance to truly build something from the ground up, and we hope you’ll join us.

Check out the video above and visit our website to learn more to see what is on the horizon.

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A gift of appreciated securities like stocks, bonds and mutual funds can be a great way to support our mission.

When you transfer ownership of securities to the Firehouse Community Arts Center, you will receive a charitable deduction for the full market value and incur no capital gains tax subject to IRS deductible limitations. The process is simple. Simply provide your financial adviser or brokerage firm with the following information:

Electronic delivery through Depository Trust Company (DTC)
DTC# 0188 TD Ameritrade
Account Name: FIREHOUSE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER
Our account: 279295746
Contact: Billy Shaw, TD Ameritrade 205-995-2547