Growing up in Desert Hot Springs, third-grader Jose Munoz couldn’t wait to go to his TFT after-school program. His mother Rosa explained how Jose was helped by the program.

“It was difficult for me. I worked and couldn’t always pick him up after school, and he was bored with the babysitters,” Rosa said. “But he always looked forward to going to TFT.”

Jose said TFT helped him gain self-confidence. “I emceed at a school event and told a lot of jokes,” he said.

Jose talked about the role music had in the program.

“We even made some (instruments) of our own with boxes,” Jose said. “The teachers played a lot of music for us. When I heard it, I loved it and wanted to play music. I chose the saxophone.”

Jose is now in the eighth grade. He plays in his school’s band and wants to eventually become a doctor.

by Cat Makino, Coachella Valley Independent, January 16, 2023