How Bravo Began
Pat Sikorovsky
At the age of 80, Pat Sikorovsky saw a newspaper story about the dire situation of District 60’s music programs in Waukegan, IL and felt she could do something about it. A longtime music lover and wife of an amateur violinist, Pat felt that all children should have the gift that her own children had been given—the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. The benefits of music education were clear to her: not only does music give children a means of expression, but it also benefits them across the entire spectrum of their emotional and intellectual development. Pat first reached out to Waukegan teachers to learn what was needed. Band director Karen Griffin responded with a list and then Pat reached out to friends and contacts to see what could be done. In time, Bravo Waukegan was born.
Born in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, job loss, illness, and a move to live with extended relatives were part of Pat’s childhood, as they were for many Americans during this time. Even so, her family found time for kindness and helped those in need whenever they could. She spent her adolescence in Kansas City, Missouri where she decided to “hit the books.” Her hard work earned her a full scholarship to Wellesley College, a place she credits with changing her life. During her second year at Wellesley she met a young Harvard law student named Gene who would become her husband. They were married for 60 years and had five children.
In retirement, Gene gave Pat’s new venture his full blessing and helped to complete the legal paperwork to form a nonprofit. Pat and her friends worked on obtaining donated instruments and made sure they were in working order. At the first instrument sign-up event in Waukegan, children and their families began waiting two hours before registration, and the line stretched several blocks. In the end, the demand far outweighed the supply and some families were left heartbroken. That night Pat went home and determined to do whatever it took for every child who wanted an instrument to have one.
For years she managed the organization from her home. She handed out flyers, put up posters, and spent hours writing letters and emails looking for ways to raise funds and garner support for the children of Waukegan. As the organization grew, Bravo took office space in Lake Forest’s Gorton Center where it still resides. And, in addition to providing instruments and the other equipment necessary for thriving music programs, Bravo founded a mariachi program as well as Bravo Buddies, a summer music program that provides private lessons for participants.
At age 94, Ms. Sikorovsky remains passionate about the Waukegan community and the organization she created. She envisions Bravo Waukegan contributing to a broader renaissance for Waukegan, a city with a rich cultural history. Her driving belief is that there is potential in each person and among the opportunities that children must be given to become their true selves is the powerful experience of the arts. “It is a conversation,” Pat says about the arts—a conversation with great artists, with one another, and with ourselves.