TYLER ANDREASSON (left) presents a check from his bar mitzvah gifts to Brent Copeland of Boys & Girls Town of Missouri.

Many teenagers are obsessed with music and wear their MP3 players glued to their ears. One teenager recently shared his love of music with teenagers whose life experiences vary greatly from his.
Tyler Andreasson, soon-to-be an eighth grader at Sullivan Middle School, is a typical teenager who loves music and also is an accomplished musician. He has been playing drums since sixth grade and since then picked up saxophone and guitar. This past June, facing the prospect of turning 13 and becoming a bar mitzvah, i.e., the term in the Jewish religion referring to a child who is beginning the adult stage of life, Tyler wanted to incorporate a service project as part of this rite of passage.
Part of the meaning and message of bar mitzvah is the importance of passing traditions from generation to generation. Tyler’s grandfather, or “Pop” as Tyler referred to him, was Bill Wallis, founder of Wallis Companies.
Wallis Companies was established in 1968 when Wallis purchased a small gasoline distributor in Cuba, MO. The company has grown to become one of the leading petroleum marketers in the Midwest. The company believes strongly in community involvement and takes an active role in helping neighbors and giving back to the community.
One of the efforts near to Bill’s heart was helping the children at Boys & Girls Town of Missouri. Many of the children who live at a Boys & Girls Town campus or who receive treatment and care through Boys & Girls Town suffer from the effects of abuse, neglect or emotional problems, and often are in custody of the state, having no immediate family of their own.
When Wallis died in 2001, his wife, Lynn, took over as president and CEO of Wallis Companies and the tradition of serving the community lived on through her work and the work of Bill and Lynn’s children, including Rachel Andreasson, Tyler’s mother, and his uncle, Jason Wallis.
Taking on the tradition of his grandparents, mother and uncle, Tyler chose to donate the gift money he received for becoming a bar mitzvah to Boys & Girls Town’s music program. The program helps youths—some of whom have never sang with a group or played an instrument—use music to develop self-esteem which is critical to healing and creating positive lives.
The donation was just the beginning. He also wanted to perform with kids from Boys & Girls Town at his bar mitzvah dinner. Tyler selected the songs and worked with Brent Copeland, Boys & Girls Town youth music director, and the music students at Boys & Girls Town on arrangement.
Not surprisingly, music was the bar mitzvah celebration theme and, according to several in attendance, the performance was great. Tyler played sax on “Stand by Me,” traded percussion solos with one of the drummers on a jam song, and then played drum set on “Play that Funky Music.”
“What Tyler did was more than just raise money. It was an opportunity to interact and perform with the kids. Boys and Girls Town is ultimately about helping children by developing positive relationships and what Tyler did was extremely special in this way. The kids learned a lot from getting to work with someone their own age and I think Tyler also learned a lot through the experience,” said Copeland.
“We strive to make our music program something that the kids enjoy; but, more importantly, helping them learn self-confidence, achievement and self-discipline.”
“I enjoy playing music and wanted the kids at Boys & Girls Town, who love music like I do, to have the opportunity to pursue their dreams like I am,” Tyler said.
Helping others realize their dreams—just what grandfather would do.
About Boys & Girls Town of Missouri
Founded in 1949, Boys & Girls Town of Missouri is a nationally accredited organization that provides extensive treatment through residential, foster care case management, outreach and family therapy programs for at-risk youths with a history of abuse, neglect, severe behavior disorders and psychological problems.
The organization’s mission to “improve the lives of children with emotional and behavioral problems through superior, family-focused services” is fulfilled through campuses in St. James, St. Louis, Springfield and Columbia, MO. Boys & Girls Town helps redirect the lives of more than 6,700 boys and girls and their family members annually.
For more information, please visit the website at www.bgtm.org.