Sisters Timolin Cole (left) and Casey Cole
Nat King Cole and wife Maria Cole, with twin daughters Timolin and Casey c. 1964
A true legacy transcends personality, career and celebrity, to offer one’s heart & soul to the masses. American icon, singer, jazz pianist and actor Nat King Cole (1919-1965) recorded over 100 hit songs, his trio became the model for small jazz ensembles, and he earned credits in film, TV and on Broadway. But well beyond his incandescent voice and resounding performances, his breakthrough career inspired so many to achieve greatness and meaning through music.
This Cole family legacy is now in the loving hands of twin sisters Casey Cole and Timolin Cole, the youngest twin daughters of Nat King Cole, who stand for music education as a path to reach one’s best potential, for the inner good and the greater good.
In 2008, Casey and Timolin co-founded Nat King Cole Generation Hope, Inc., a 501c(3) non-profit, to provide equal access to music instruction, mentorship and resources for underserved, economically disadvantaged youth in under resourced communities. The sisters’ organization addresses the predicaments of many in the public education systems whose schools lack funding for enrichment, parents who cannot afford lessons or to buy/rent instruments, and talented music teachers who do so much with so little. Nat King Cole Generation Hope ultimately supports the child, the music instructor and the school.
The cause is paramount, while the return on investment in music education has no ceiling. To enable a child to discover themselves in the strings of a violin or the keys of piano, is to help them find dignity and hope.
Post-COVID, many of our children face a journey of unprecedented challenges … mentally, emotionally and socially. While music education has been recognized as an essential learning tool that keeps youth academically engaged and develops well-rounded, critical thinking, it has never been more urgently needed to fill their hearts with self-esteem and fuel their minds with vital cognitive skills.
”Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul.
Plato
”Music enhances the education of our children by helping them to make connections and broadening the depth with which they think and feel. If we are to hope for a society of culturally literate people, music must be a vital part of our children’s education.
Yo-Yo Ma
Music Lessons – Tracing links between and bolstering the case for music in schools / Harvard Graduate School of Education
Tuning In: Six Benefits of Music Education / Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Benefits of Music Education / PBS. org
Benefits of music to student’s brain power / Florida National University
The Importance of Music Education in Schools The K- 12 Teachers Alliance / Graduate Programs for Educators
Nat King Cole Generation Hope is comprised of a dedicated board as well as committed staff and volunteers who work passionately and tirelessly to fulfill our mission to provide music education to children with the greatest need and fewest resources.
Co-Founders + Board of Directors
Timolin Cole
Co-Founder, Secretary/Treasurer of Board
Casey Cole
Co-Founder, President of Board
Kristen Huffines
Board Member
Staff
Shanna St. John
Executive Director
Glenda Lighter
Administrative Assistant
