Pure Imagination Fund

The Pure Imagination Fund

Working to establish an endowed music education scholarship for minority musicians at Colorado State University- Pueblo, in memory of Ashli Abner.

The bar is high- the minimum amount needed to endow a scholarship is $25,000.00. Please help by attending one of our FREE benefit concerts and making a donation.  ALL proceeds will go directly to the scholarship fund.

HOW TO DONATE

See our Upcoming Events link above for concert info or go directly to CSU-Pueblo's crowd funding page by clicking on the link below.

Ashli Abner

Ashli Abner

" I want to be able to provide for myself and feel that I have accomplished something meaningful  in life.  I want to be able to teach without being timid and influence productive young musicians. I want to show others what impact music can have in their lives the same way it has done for mine."

Ashli Abner March 5, 1988 - August 26, 2016

It was Ashli's lifelong dream to become a music educator. With her passion for teaching, Ashli Abner was motivated by her vision of improving the world by passing on the universal language of music.  Ashli had already accomplished much, having earned an Associate's Degree, and was actively pursuing a Bachelors Degree as well as a Masters Degree in Music Education.  

Ashli began experiencing symptoms at age 19 that were ultimately attributed to Lupus.  Ashli persevered as her health deteriorated from escalating symptoms and treatments, which ultimately resulted in complete kidney failure. Ashli never lost her belief in her future, enduring her illness with grace and perseverance. With a fierce determination to overcome, Ashli remained steadfast in her conviction that her illness was a but moment in time; Ashli believed  she would have a lifetime in which to realize her dreams and ambitions. During the course of her illness, Ashli remained positive although her declining health created many challenges; she remained optimistic until her passing in August, 2016.

Ashli loved her life, and the beauty and power of music. As a flutist and violinist, she was respected by both peers and teachers. Ashli found many ways to demonstrate her loving spirit through the course of her short life.  It was Ashli's deepest desire to ensure that others be provided the opportunity to be empowered, encouraged and enabled to study music.  This is Ashli's legacy and will live on through an endowed scholarship to be awarded to deserving music students in her memory. The Pure Imagination Fund has been established to honor Ashli, her deep love of music, and her belief that the transcendent nature of music  can be world changing one note, one musician at a time.
 

"Anything you want to do, do it. Want to change the world? There's nothing to it"

----words that inspired a life all too brief

From "Pure Imagination", Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory