The holiday spirit reminds us all to help out those less fortunate than we are. Authors 4 Charity is a group dedicated to creating charity events that promote authors through book signings. It's easy to sign up, only $35.00 a year, and once you are a member they help you organize book signing events to promote your work. In return, you donate a portion of your sales at the event to a charity of your choice. It's win/win for everyone.

emPower Music and Arts' dear friend David Roth often works with The Songs of Love Foundation. This fantastic organization is a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized songs for children and teens currently facing tough medical, physical or emotional challenges, free of charge.

Last year during David's Songs of Love workshop, a special song was written for Isaac Nickel. We'd like to share the family's response:

Songs of Love is proof of the Power of Posi Music!

The song submissions for the Posi Awards came at a particularly painful time for many this year as Nashville experienced heartbreaking flooding. emPower Music and Arts extended the deadline for the song submissions, and to help with relief efforts emPower made a donation for each song submitted during the extension. Through your song submissions emPower was able to donate $1240 to Hands on Nashville. 

Founded in 1991, Hands on Nashville's ongoing mission is to help people transform the world around them by volunteering. Every year over 38,000 volunteers are placed by Hands on Nashville into more than 300 Nashville area service agencies and schools. During the flooding in Nashville and continuing throughout the long recovery afterward, Hands on Nashville is acting as a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities and is providing coordination to get assistance where it is needed most. emPower Music and Arts is proud to be able to work with this fantastic organization.

Robert Anderson from the duo Devotion is committed to HIV/AIDS awareness and support.  He served on staff and as a volunteer for the Boulder (CO) County AIDS Project for over 10 years.  After hearing the touching story of 8-year-old, South African, HIV/AIDS activist Nkosi Johnson, Robert was moved to write his heart-opening song, “Do All You Can,” which has become an inspiration for people with disabilities and their caregivers . . . and a powerful encouragement for positive change.

From the WAMMS newsletter:

I invite You to visit the new WAMMS Website at: 

This site has enabled Me to assemble photos from various events; as well as photos received from Chaplain Wikstrom in AFGHANISTAN...oh, & photos of WHISPER, too!!!  The intention of this exciting WAMMSsite is to keep You informed of special WAMMS activities & events & perhaps, encourage You to consider at WAMMS Shoe Drive in the near future. (See Flyer:  One Dollar & Pair of SHOES)

Amazingly...WAMMS is in preparation for its FIRST BIRTHDAY.  Just saying those words fill Me with such joy & gratitude...because it means that WAMMS & "This Little Ol' Lady AND the SHOES" have met incredible people in diverse locations.  We have, truly, "STEPped FORward on the Path to PEACE!!!" & Our intent is to continue to share 'gently-worn' SHOES with Folks having NO SHOES, at all.

When You visit WAMMSNow...do take a look at the Photo Gallery & then visit FORUM where there are explanations & discriptions of the unique WAMMS programs/projects.  Please KNOW that WAMMS & "The Little Ol' Lady AND the SHOES" hope that You will join in the fun & festivities which are being scheduled to CELEBRATE WAMMS First Birthday (beginning 24June09 at Sweet Tomotoes...where it ALL BEGAN) It will surely be a BLAST!!!

Blessings to You & Yours...Always

Whispering...& CELEBRATING WAMMS #1 Birthday
DonnaChristine Park

Well, Chad and I are obviously partial to The Love Foundation since I have been directly involved with them since the beginning of their existence.   So, in all transparency, it may appear that we are a bit biased. That said however, the beauty of The Love Foundation (TLF) is that their vision is to work with other humanitarian based charities from around the world … so, in essence TLF might end up being a kind of point organization where they can direct one non-profit organization to another. So, that might be part one to your question, as working with the Love Foundation allows Chad and I to assist other humanitarian organizations where we can give our music for free through downloads, CDs or benefit concerts. Now, to give you part 2 of our answer to your question, we strongly believe in giving to our community and humanitarian organizations that are looking to better the planet. When it feels appropriate, we give of ourselves whenever we are able. We have given to medical organizations, various Peace and environmental organizations and the likes.

A few years ago we came across a young couple through another song writer, and dear friend of mine.  The young 20 something couple, Amanda and Griffin Schutt, had traveled through the Himalayan region of India. During their travels, they had been so touched by the indigenous people they had met in the small village called Kaza, that they decided to come back to the States, start a non-profit organization called “A Wiser World”, and raise money so they could go back and build a school for the children. Chad and I were so touched by this story, that we joined forces with a few other musical friends and put on a benefit concert to help them out.  We even gathered books from schools and libraries here in the States to send over to help them build their educational materials. I personally was so moved by the love that Amanda and Griffin exuded, that I went to The Love Foundation and nominated them for an “Act of Love” award. The TLF board agreed that Mandy and Griffin exemplified the true spirit of unconditional love and I was able to present them the award at the fund raising event. 

Bread for the Journey is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping their members help others in need. In their 20 year history they have microgranted over 3 million dollars to community based projects with the goal being community growth and betterment.

For each of their chapters, the grant money is raised locally with an emphasis on deomcratizing philanthropy.

Bread for the Journey started as a simple idea and they have worked hard to keep it simple. They provide resources for people interested in being a voice of change in their own community, and opportunity to help for those who have means.

Yesterday, my husband -who is currently on a temporary lay off from work – asked me about a story he'd just seen on the local news. Volunteerism among the unemployed is on the rise. This baffled him.

Why would people volunteer their unemployed time for free, rather than look for work?

There are several very valid reasons for taking your time and giving it away.

Volunteering is healthy. It staves off depression that the out-of-work often deal with because it feels good to help other people. The activity will also prevent you from becoming a couch potato.

Working as a volunteer can make a great addition to your resume. Even though you're not getting paid for it, it counts as experience.

Volunteering is a terrific way to meet people, and not just potential friends. Remember that old adage, “It's not what you know, it's WHO you know.” Volunteering is a way for you to network and make job contacts.

It's about making change. Volunteering takes away the feeling of helplessness, and reminds us that we can make a difference. It changes your heart by making you appreciate exactly where you are in the world, both financially and family-wise. The daily grind can make us forget these amazing blessings – volunteering helps put things back in perspective.

I have found that in the times we live in that many people are finding it hard to cope and that tragedies like suicide are on the rise.

I have used my music and my volunteerism for such a cause because it is close to me and one I am sure all of us have contemplated at one time or another even if for one irrational moment.

Unfortunately for some the irrational moment leads to death. I suggest that you help in whatever way you can, because you can save a life. I hope my music inspires you to make a difference. The song I wrote for the walk for Suicide awareness is called "Wishing for a lifetime" It is free to download on my website www.deidrey.com.

God Bless you on your journey through life.

With the job market drying up, MSNBC reports volunteerism is on the rise. And maybe not for the reason you'd think. Sure, there is a shortage of good jobs, but Michael Brown, CEO of City Year, a Boston based non-profit, says, “It's not just a matter of needing employment, which I think is still important, but there's something in a declining economy that clarifies all our values.” With all of the focus on spending, debt and people in need, our nation is redefining what is truly important to us.

Reading is Fundamental. Not only is this the oldest and largest non-prof literacy organization in the U.S., it consistently maintains an "A" rating at The American Institute of Philanthropy, a designation reserved for charitable organizations which "generally spend 75% or more of their budgets on programs, spend $25 or less to raise $100 in public support, do not hold excessive assets in reserve, and receive "open-book" status for disclosure of basic financial information and documents to AIP."

The ACLU. I've disagreed with a few stands they've taken, over the years, but not many. I think they play a valuable role in keeping our government in check. I've been a card-carrying member since my early-twenties, when I was following some mildly-heated rhetoric between the notoriously liberal Gregory Peck and the notoriously conservative Charlton Heston. (I emphasize "mildly-heated" because, although Peck and Heston took opposing sides of virtually every social issue in existence, they maintained a civility that proved it IS possible for honorable men to disagree.) That's way more than you wanted to know, isn't it? Lemme try again: The ACLU. *smiles*

It started in 1995 when a group of 12 year old friends began a fight against child labor. Today, Free the Children is more than a million youth brought together by the vision that they have the power to change the world. Together, they fight poverty, hunger and oppression in their peers. They've received the Children's Nobel prize and work with several other notable organizations - Oprah's Angel Network ect.

http://www.freethechildren.com/index.php