Jeff Benoit donates 14 electric guitars to The Rock Underground

WARWICK — Jeff Benoit of Warwick has donated 14 electric guitars to benefit kids who take lessons at The Rock Underground of Greenwood Lake, with a future site at the Warwick Valley Community Center.
Rock Underground recently held its first summer camp at the center with a concluding concert for parents. Six funky, decorated guitars lined the wall in the center’s main hall.
Following the concert, music director Matt Barile said the Rock will have a program at the center during the school year, but details needed to be finalized.
It was a year ago that Benoit took his son Jayden to the Village of Warwick’s Sesquicentennial concert. Bands connected to The Rock were playing and Jayden was hooked.
“I want to be on that stage,” Jayden told his dad and he soon began lessons in Greenwood Lake.
Later Benoit saw that Alto, the giant music store in Middletown, was “blowing guitars out dirt cheap” and bought 60, yes, 60, guitars.
Benoit then got in touch with Barile.
“The reality is that not having a guitar shouldn’t prevent a kid from playing,” Benoit said.
He offered Barile four guitars.
“I wanted to reduce the financial burden,” Benoit said. “If you want to take lessons but you’re unsure if you’ll stick with it, I have all these guitars. Take them.”
Then, this summer, the music camp at the community center came up, and Jayden wanted to attend.
“So I called the center, and I said, ‘I have 10 guitars. You can have them,’” Benoit said. “I wanted to help with attendance.”
Benoit, who equipped the guitars with funky colors and designs, also looked for sponsors. A $100 will get the donor his or her business logo on the guitar.
So far, Angela Murphy of the Green Team Home Selling System and Nicole’s House of Beauty have responded.
To learn more or make a donation, call 986-6422.