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Erinne Brown
Outreach Volunteer |
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"Volunteering for LIFEbeat's Tour Outreach has been a meaningful experience for me. It's a great feeling being able to educate people on HIV/AIDS and giving them resources that can help them stay safe. It's also a fun environment to meet young people of different backgrounds to create awareness about an issue that affects us all."
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Winter 2010 - Contents
Huge thanks to everyone who played!
African Drum & Dance - amberRose Marie - Andrew Suvalsky - Andy Mac - BlackSteelz - Candy Smith - Chris Jonesl - Dan Ferrari - Deni Bonet - EMV - Eric Svejcar - Emory Taylor - Erika Banks - Gay Marshall - Gordon Chambers - Grace Garland - Hot House Jazz Band - Imperial Court - Jami Jackson - Janifer - Jesse O - Jill Melanie Wirth - India M - Katy Pfaffl - Larry May - Lavender Light Gospel Choir - Lovari - Maria Davis - Markeisha Ensley - Martin Bard - Metropolitones - Mike Butler - Nhojj - Noa Tylo - Noam Weinstein - Norma Curly - Paradox - Sean Dixon - Sean360 & universoul spiRitual Ankhestra - Seth Rudetsky - Shaun B - Skotch Davis - Todd Alsup - Tomasian - Tony George - Voices In Praise - Voices In Unity
Now let's hear it for our amazing volunteers!
Ajua Kouadio - Amenan Kouadio - Brian Temple - Janete Scobie - Jen Grossman - Janine Charles - Jessica Cooke - Kebera Leach - Lakeisha LaPorte - Laura Wierbicki - Leigh Ollman - Levon Ford - Liz Pegues - Maeve Lenahan - Nicole Henry - Tessa Hersh
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Featured Artist- BlackSteelz
Tell us about yourself?
"We're a male/female hip hop duo comprised of EMF Black from Queens, and ToniSteelz from Brooklyn, New York. We are the Underground Music Award winners for “Best Rap Duo of the Year” 2009 and “Best of the Boroughs” 2009 among many other shows we have won over the past year…"
ToniSteelz: "I am the CEO of 4eva N’Finite Productionz, LLC a production company that specializes in Event Planning/Coordination and provides services in Hair Styling, Make-Up as well as Advertisement & Promotions. I am also an Actress, Writer, Producer, Director and Host. I am ½ of BLACKSTEELZ"
EMF Black: "I am the CEO of JADAS RECORDINGS, a label I'm building from the ground up that represents up and coming group called DMB (doin major business). I'm an actor, a father, an internet radio personality, and most importantly 1/2 of BLACKSTEELZ."
Why do you perform with Hearts & Voices?
ToniSteelz: "A part of me wishes I was there for a close cousin of mine that past when I was young of HIV/AIDS, maybe I could’ve of made her last days better through music…and so I do it because it feels good to perform for such an appreciative crowd. To give something back to someone who is not fortunate enough to have it. Connect with humans on another level…connect through emotion and joy and that’s what music brings…joy."
EMF Black: "I love to help to people, giving back to the community, and making someone other than myself happy."
How did you connect with LIFEbeat?
"We actually walked into the LIFEbeat offices in Midtown Manhattan after a studio session in the same building and presented the Hearts & Voices coordinator with our music, filled out an application and we’ve been performing ever since…"
What's the best part of the experience for you?
"The best part of performing for LIFEbeat is the smiling faces at the end of each show. The Thank Yous of those that relate to our struggle and realize we relate to theirs…the overall joy we bring to their lives…Nothing else matters at that time…just us and them."
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Featured Volunteer - Janine Charles
"I was born and raised in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. Most of us, have at sometime or another in our lives broached the idea that we would participate in some or other charitable deed. Whether it was volunteering at a soup kitchen, donating clothes to charity it was something that I myself vowed to do, but someday. One day while having a conversation with a friend I was introduced to a stranger, who upon hearing my ancestry and origin of birth declared, loudly, "Oh you're South African, The AIDS Capital of the world right? I could not refute or dispute his claim, because he spoke the truth. I was indeed a product of a country who has now received notoriety, not for our ability as a nation to overcome so many obstacles. But instead we were known for our inability to effectively bring this disease under control. That incident caused such an unsettling in me and angered me so much that I vowed to do something to change not only that negative perception, but also help be a person who would empower people to make a change in their current behaviour.
A couple of days later I searched online for an organisation that I could volunteer my services to. After conducting some research, the descriptions of what was offered at LIFEbeat seemed to perfectly fit into what I was able to do. The first outreach I participated in happened to be a Hearts ∓ Voices show. I have no idea what I had expected, but what I received was a life changing experience where hope was manifested. I left Housing Works East Village that day re-energised, passionate about life and vowing to make a difference in this fight against this monstrous disease.
I am a student and activist who has always had a deep rooted passion to eradicate ignorance and inject knowledge into the lives of children. I had been presented with an opportunity to volunteer at Incarnation Children's Center, a life altering experience. Incarnation Children's Centre is houses children who had been born with HIV due to mother to child transmissions. It is also here that I met a remarkable woman, Maria Davis. Maria is living with AIDS, yet she does not allow this to deter her. Instead she lectures daily, produces shows and is an active participant in creating change for people infected & affected by HIV. That experience humbled me tremendously. Before that day AIDS had, like other terminal diseases, been something other people lived through and died from. Here all of a sudden I was faced with terminally ill children who through no fault of their own had their lives impacted, because of someone else's choices.
I left that day and again vowed to fight HIV/AIDS daily, in whatever capacity I am able to do. In a war it is vital that you know your enemy, study its weaknesses and arm yourself with enough ammunition to outwit it. HIV/AIDS is a preventable disease, an enemy that we can control and hopefully eliminate. Therefore through education, prevention strategies and counselling we can empower people to make a considerable change in their behaviour. We are living in the Age of AIDS, our reactions, and participation in dealing with it will not only affect our lives today, but will impact our existence in the future.
Today I am a student who is working toward completing a doctorate in Psychological Counselling, with an area of concentration in HIV/AIDS. Initially I had naively thought that by volunteering I would be making a difference for someone else. Volunteering with Hearts & Voices allowed me to come into contact with the humanity of HIV/AIDS. Those who were infected with the disease affected my life by making me realise how precious life is, and how vital it is for us to make the right choices.
In South Africa there is a philosophy that we practice and believe in called UBUNTU. Ubuntu means, "I am, because we are". The idea that collectively we as a human race can bring about considerable change in the communities that we live in. Often people question what difference one person can possibly make in the fight against this disease. I believe the same doubts were presented to Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, yet they chose to take that step, and be the change they were seeking. For me volunteering at Hearts & Voices has accomplished two things. Firstly, it has propelled me to not passively sit by, but actively go out and partake in the change. Lastly, it forced me to evaluate the importance of life and has injected the idea of hope into me, and I can truly say my living will not be in vain.""
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Hearts & Voices Program Highlights
We performed 62 successful performances and brightened the days of 1726 audience members over the Fall months. Here are a few highlights from those shows along with some noteworthy accomplishments from some of our Hearts & Voices performers:
- Seth Rudetsky orchestrated a spectacular Thanksgiving performance for the entire Terence Cardinal Cooke Facility. On the afternoon of Wed. Nov. 25 Seth, along with 3 Broadway Divas: Klea Blackhurst, Farah Alvin and Anne Steele, wowed & engaged the audience of over 100 patients and staff.
- World AIDS Day 2009 saw Hearts & Voices artists providing entertainment at 3 seperate facilities at the same time:
- BlackSteelz donated a portion of the proceeds of their Dec. 18th XMas Showcase Concert to LIFEbeat. They had a talented line up of performers sharing the stage with them and they also educated the audience about HIV/AIDS by both speaking from the stage and including LIFEbeat information/condom packs in their gift bags.
- Lil Mama visited Incarnation Children's Center for the Holiday show. She came and spoke to the teens there about growing up not to far from there and the importance of high self esteem/following your dreams. She also helped pass out the holiday gift bags and then stayed after to take pictures...
- The Hot House Jazz Band, a talented group of teens from the UK, stopped by Rivington House to kick off the Halloween festivities with an hour long set of BIG Band favorites. It was a packed house and the group delivered a full and professional performance of classics. It was a very impressive show!
These are just the highlights of what 's been going on. If you'd like to get a glimpse of what a Hearts & Voices show is like visit our website www.heartsandvoices.org to view our short promo video and/or www.YouTube.com/LIFEbeatUSA to view videos of some shows.
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Hearts & Voices Holiday RECAP
Every Holiday Season Hearts & Voices puts together and gives out gift bags to ~350 of our audience members. In 2009 we were happy to be able to continue this tradition. The high quantity and quality of the gifts this year was largely due to the generosity of a hand full of organizations and individuals. We are so thankful for the generosity of everyone who contributed, with special thanks to:
- Unity of New York, who held two toiletry drives in 2009 and provided over 1000 assorted toiletry items for the gift bags this year.
- Pyramid America, who gifted us with 200 Michael Jackson posters, which were a very popular gift this year.
- ZipCar, who generously donated the use of a mini-van for the day so that we could deliver the majority of gifts to the largest facilities.
Also, for the 4th year in a row we were able to provide a SuperStar CD to our audience members. The 2009 CD features 18 songs, that are all donated by Hearts & Voices artists. This gift is the one I'm most proud of, because it actually gives our audience members a compilation of their favorite Hearts & Voices artists to listen to whenever they need a pick me up. Click here to see the line up.
Afterword
Happy New Year!!! I know it's February already, and I'm committed to keeping the energy of this amazing NEW YEAR going strong!
Hearts & Voices ended 2009 strongly and has already taken 2010 by storm. I am looking forward to continuing our tried-and-true regular shows, while continuing to add new facilities, performers and production volunteers to the family. We already have some exciting shows planned and I look forward to sharing the results in future HEARTbeat Newsletters.
Keep making 2010 the BEST year yet!
Peace & Happy New Year/Decade,
Erika
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