Steven Cade and the Giving Guitars Foundation: A Patchwork of Challenges and Triumphs.

In January a friend introduced me to Steven Cade, founder of the nonprofit Giving Guitars Foundation. Like many people, at a certain point in his life he wanted to use his gifts to make the world a better place. So begins the story of his Giving Guitars Foundation. 

"We bring hope to homeless families, foster children, at-risk youth, domestic abuse victims, and veterans by bringing brand-new guitars to shelters. We have been to 83 homeless shelters for families and youth, donated over 150 guitars across 16 states, impacted 1000s," Cade said. "And we started in October of 2021."

Steven Cade is a Nashville-based, award-winning, modern country artist and singer-songwriter who has won the Grand Ole Opry's Modern Country Artist of the Year Award and has been inducted into California Music Hall of Fame.

EN: When did you first get serious about a career in music and what, at that time, inspired you?

Steven Cade: I got serious a couple of year out of High School, and having my first manager be Floyd Rose helped me be inspired to want to be the best songwriter, performer and musician possible.

EN: What were you doing before you got involved with Wyland's Water Conservation Awareness Tours? 

SC: Before the Wyalnd Tours I was still the lead singer of a pop rock band in Southern California. We were touring the country, writing and creating music and performing.

EN: You mentioned that over a period of two years Wyland had done a West Coast and East Coast road show. Can you describe what those events were like?

SC: Those events were summertime festival-like shows that took place on the coasts. I would perform while Wyland would paint. We did that from Seattle to La Paz, and then from Maine to Key West.  

EN: How were they publicized? 

SC: Mainly though Wyland's Foundation

EN: What was your role and what kind of impact did they make?

SC: I was singing while Wyland was painting. Music and art together are a powerful combination and it got a lot of people excited about Wyland’s push to raise awareness for clean oceans.

EN: At the end you came down with encephalitis meningitis and spent 10 years in recovery. What lessons did you learn through that experience?

SC: My turning point came after a tour in Mexico where I faced the challenging ordeal of encephalitis/meningitis—a harrowing experience that nearly claimed my life. In the aftermath, a transformative journey led me to give my life to Jesus Christ, marking a profound shift in my perspective. I learned that in the end I was not in control of my own health. It made me want to surrender to Jesus as my Lord and savior. I wanted to change my life and follow Christ.

EN: You grew up in Southern California. When did you come to Nashville and why?

SC: I actually grew up in Houston, Texas and moved to California for high school and college. I had been wanting to move to Nashville for quite some time to collaborate with the best songwriters in the world.

EN: After becoming a Christian you wanted to do more than just make music. What prompted you to create your Giving Guitars Tour?

SC: After giving my life to Christ I began to lead worship in churches, but I knew that God wanted me to do even more than that and bring Him glory even outside of the church. Having compassion for those in need led us to Giving Guitars. There are a lot of people without homes, no food, abandoned and hurting in our country and all over the world. I know God gave us music for a reason. I wanted to use my gift to give back and that is what we are doing.

EN: Is it entertainment or a ministry? 

SC: It is a combination of both. There are songs that I will play at the shelter, but I will say over the microphone that Jesus Christ is my savior and talk about that.

EN: You've performed at more than 80 shelters. What kinds of shelters and how do these events come about?

SC: We visit homeless shelters for families, men, women, foster homes, domestic violence centers, drug addiction centers, at-risk youth and even help veterans. The shelters are starting to learn about what we are doing and they are requesting us to come and visit.

EN: Homelessness is a major societal problem today. What insights have you learned from visiting homeless shelters around the country? 

SC: Homeless people need to have voices too. They have feelings, emotions and even dreams. They need hope and inspiration. They love music and people who take a minute to hear their stories and just listen.

EN: For people who want to follow what you're doing or be part of it, where can they go to learn more?

SC: They can go to GivingGuitars.org. We would really appreciate the support.

Contact Info:

∙         Website: www.stevencade.com

∙         Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevencadecountry/

∙         Facebook: www.facebook.com/stevencademusic

∙         Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevencademusic/

∙         Twitter: www.twitter.com/stevencademusic

∙         Youtube: www.youtube.com/stevencademusic

∙         SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/stevencademusic

To read more about Steven Cade's work and his musical journey, visit the Canvas Rebel website.  

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Related Links

Wyland: The Marine Michaelangelo

The Giving Guitars Foundation

The Sheep and the Goats

Ideas on How to Help the Homeless, and a New Thought About the Unforgivable Sin

The problem of poverty has become increasingly pronounced in our time, in part because of the ever expanding gap between the haves and have nots. The lack of affordable housing in most of our cities exacerbates the problem.

Yesterday I had a long insightful discussion with Eric Ringsred, a retired Duluth doctor who has also been a landlord with experience in this area. We began by sharing stories about a mutual friend, a street person who occasionally lived in the basement of one of his properties downtown. 

While discussing some of his experiences with down-and-out people, he asserted, “I really believe everyone has something to offer," following up with, "The Need is not complicated: a healthy environment, role models and something meaningful to do."

If ever there was a formula for helping needy people, this is one of the most concise and clear statements I've ever seen. In nearly every case where communities, government agencies or programs come up short, it will in some way violate one of these three principles. For many people it may be all three. 

1.  A healthy environment.
2.  Role models
3.  Something meaningful to do.

A safe, healthy place is a starting point. Role models can become mentors who show the way to a healthier, productive life. Meaningful work builds self-esteem, an essential mindset or attitude for survival. When we hate ourselves, we'll beat ourselves up till we self destruct. (Each of these can be elaborated on.)

Dr. Ringsred also shared another pearl. A friend of his once asked Eric what the "unforgivable sin" was. It was a rhetorical question, but I think you will agree it is a big, big question. The unforgivable sin, this man said, was waste, when we waste our lives and fail to do the meaningful work for which we're made.  

What are we currently doing to make the world a better place? We've all heard how evil triumphs when good people do nothing. Are there things we can do in our local communities to be useful?

Eric's last comment before we parted: “We should be the best we can be."