NILES — In a second-floor room of Melissa and Jason Rizzo’s Niles Charter Township home Monday, guitarists Sam Douglass and Joseph Rizzo strum out snippets of Metallica and Danzig songs while their bandmates toss about jokes and puns.

The children, 12 to 15 years old, were about to practice for Thursday’s Niles Summer Concert Series at 6 p.m. They are collectively known as The Toona’s, a multi-genre band spanning from rock to country.

The six will perform for Performing Arts Workshop, their nonprofit of choice.

PAW co-director August Garritano said the nonprofit’s programming, based at Brandywine Elementary, brought in 70 area students and nine staff members from across the country this year.

The 8-year-old nonprofit offered seven different programs to children to take part in, focused on developing numerous performing arts talents to both novice and veteran students to the scene, from dancing to singing to acting.

One of the summer’s highlights was the Musical Theater Experience workshop, Garritano said.

“Students learn how to put together a full musical theater production in about a week and a half,” Garritano said. “We had dedicated staff and amazing students. We successfully pulled off four performances of ‘Willy Wonka Jr.’ between two separate casts, two performances each.”

The band members of The Toona’s chose PAW because each has been involved with the nonprofit. Singers Abbie Hubbard and Hayden Seggerman performed in PAW Sr. while Douglass, Rizzo, bassist Elisa Skinner and drummer Cael VanSandt opened for PAW Sr.’s performance on June 20.

“We brought in a professional jazz musician from Detroit, Matt LoRusso, to work with the members of The Toona’s, as they were our band for the other workshop participants to perform with for their final showcase,” Garritano said. “All members of The Toona’s have participated in PAW and are members of the PAW family.”

PAW is open to any child in the area, but the nonprofit has its roots in Brandywine Community Schools. Garritano and co-executive director Lena Miles are both Brandywine graduates and return to the school district to host PAW’s numerous summer programs.

Aside from its members being current Brandywine students, The Toona’s also has its roots in Brandywine.

The band came out of the Brandywine Creek String Band, a group formed by Brandywine Elementary principal James Boger. Hubbard, Rizzo, Seggerman and Skinner were part of the elementary ensemble and decided to continue playing together. They later picked up Douglass and VanSandt to become The Toona’s.

The band’s name has its roots in the Brandywine Creek String Band, too. It came from a pronunciation of the word “tuner,” a device that tunes instruments like guitars, that Skinner, originally from England, made.

“They always thought I was saying, ‘tuna.’ ‘Well, we don’t have any tuna for you,’” she said, mimicking her bandmates. “So then, I think it was Hayden, he said, ‘Well, what if we call ourselves The Toona’s? It was kind of like an inside joke.”

The Toona’s is now four years old, and the band has gone from missing the cut at the Berrien County Youth Fair shortly after forming to playing paid gigs at venues like the Acorn Theatre in Three Oaks.

As The Toona’s play Thursday, PAW will sell bottled water and merchandise, accepting donations and sharing information on how to become a sustaining member, Garritano said. All proceeds will go to the organization’s scholarship fund, which provides support to send students to its camp.

Garritano is looking forward to PAW’s appearance with The Toona’s.

“We are excited for this event and for anytime we get to support these amazingly talented students,” he said.