A mini-concert by 8-year-old Ashton Hart Wecker celebrated a big gift today from West Seattle Nursery and its customers to Mode Music and Performing Arts, the nonprofit sibling to North Delridge’s Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor). Ashton is a performing prodigy who has studied at both Mode and MMPA, both helmed by Erin Rubin, who was at the nursery to accept the gift from WSN proprietor Marcia Bruno with a heartfelt hug:

The gift was in the form of a check for $4,000. Almost half was from WSN customers adding a donation to their holiday-season purchases, exceeding the drive’s goal; the nursery rounded the customer-donation total up to $2,000 and matched that. The donation drive’s progress was tracked throughout the season by a “thermometer” – here’s WSN employee Bella posing with it:

(Photo provided by West Seattle Nursery)

WSN’s Marie McKinsey explains, “Bella did the graphics and came up with the idea to stack presents to indicate where we were with donations. William, our carpenter and maintenance person, built it out of scrap lumber.” Marcia said WSN employees stepped up financially during the campaign too, some by donating their tips! The end result – youth immersed in music education – was exemplified amply by Ashton, who’s been playing piano since age 4. The Westside School (WSB sponsor) student performed other classics including Billy Joel‘s “Piano Man,” and even had a sticker on his keyboard in honor of that artist:

You can see and hear Ashton busking at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market most Sundays. As for Mode, Erin says it has new middle-school programming, and registration is open for this year’s camps – watch for more on that soon. Beyond that, Mode’s move to make way for light rail is still looming in the future, but while Sound Transit continues to wait for the federal Record of Decision, businesses like Erin’s don’t have access to relocation money yet.