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.
