My team
Why I’m Running for Vinegrass
I’m running the Falmouth Road Race with Team Vinegrass for a simple reason: I BELIEVE EVERY YOUNG PERSON DESERVES A CHANCE to explore their creativity and pursue what they love. Music has always been part of how I connect, reflect, and feel inspired—and I’ve seen how powerful it can be when young people are given the opportunity to learn, grow, and express themselves. Not everyone starts with the same access or support, and that gap is what motivates me to run. This race is my way of showing up for the next generation of artists. Every mile is a reminder that small efforts, when combined, can create real opportunities for local kids with big dreams. IF YOU'RE ABLE, I'D BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Your donation helps open doors for young musicians right here in our community. For those of you who donated to my run last year, THANK YOU! Your contribution has already made a difference for young music students. I would be eternally grateful if you could donate to this year’s run. Let’s keep providing these essential resources to support our young musicians!
Vinegrass is a not-for-profit music production company located in Orleans, Massachusetts whose mission is to enhance our cultural quality of life through the production of American Rhythm & Roots concerts and festivals, featuring some of the region’s best artists in American folk and rhythm. Our goal is to foster this unique and cherished genre of American music through scholarships, workshops, and instruments, ensuring its preservation for generations to come.
Vinegrass develops and helps pay for concerts, camps, and music workshops to help people, particularly our youth, integrate traditional American music into their lives. We provide scholarships to students studying music at an accredited four-year university. We also donate ukuleles for Truro Public Schools and provide instruments as needed to younger students.
The concert highlight of the year is the Vinegrass Music Festival, held each fall at Truro Vineyards, to raise money for our charitable mission.
For more information, visit https://vinegrass.org/
Description
Help Team Vinegrass Support Young Local Artists.
On Cape Cod and in our surrounding communities, there are young people with extraordinary musical talent, but not always the resources to pursue it. For many families, the cost of lessons, instruments, camps, and college programs often puts a dream just out of reach.
That’s why Team Vinegrass is running in this year’s Falmouth Road Race.
Vinegrass is a small but passionate local nonprofit dedicated to helping young aspiring artists find their voice through music. Through scholarships, grants, donated instruments, and support for camps and teachers, Vinegrass helps remove the financial barriers that too often stand in the way of creative potential.
Since 2013, Vinegrass has provided more than $115,000 in scholarships, grants, and instruments for students and schools, supporting real kids with real dreams right here in our community.
Behind Vinegrass is musician and educator Monica Rizzio, who knows firsthand what it feels like to love music but lack access to lessons and instruments. Her vision is simple: no young person should have to give up their passion because of money.
Every mile we run helps a local student move forward: to pick up their first instrument, to step onto a stage, to imagine a future in music. When you support a Team Vinegrass runner, you’re not just cheering on a race, you’re helping a local child achieve a dream that might not otherwise be possible.
💛 Please donate today.
Your gift directly supports young aspiring musical artists in our community. With your help, we can open doors, nurture creativity, and ensure that the next generation of artists has the opportunity to thrive.
Thank you for believing in local kids, local music, and the power of possibility.
