Local songwriter Richie Moore began playing guitar when he was 10—a pastime that’s served him in good times and bad.

“Sometimes my guitar was my best friend,” he said. “If I got into trouble and was sent to my room, after a short while, (my parents) would hear the guitar. . . . It was a release for me. An outlet.”

Decades later, Moore, now 63, wants to give other children the gift of music.

Officially recognized on March 29, his nonprofit organization, Musicians on a Mission, is dedicated to providing musical instruments, mentoring and other music-related resources to young people in the community. Thus far, more than a dozen new and used musical instruments have been given to children whose parents cannot afford them.

Run by a five-member board of directors, Musicians on a Mission regularly hosts fundraisers, instrument drives, volunteer concerts and other philanthropic events—all meant to bring music into children’s lives.