So, as I am home in Wisconsin working and setting things up to make a huge impact for the final six months of Project Kinect, I as still connecting locally as well as in cyber space. I have recently come across two websites that offer an outlet for great news that isn’t sent through our main stream media networks as well as an organization that is dedicated to community equality. As I am getting to know them more, take a moment and check them out for yourselves.
We have met so many people who still are looking for assistance, don’t know that they can get assistance or have no idea how to get around the system to get any kind of help. It is so important that everybody know that there is somewhere to get help. Just because you have not heard if Tuscaloosa needs any help, does not need that they do not. THEY STILL NEED SO MUCH HELP!!!!
Last night as I was just catching up on some work things before I went to bed, I started looking at this Norman Rockwell book that my Grandma has in her apartment. If you’re unfamiliar with Norman Rockwell and his works, you most likely have still seen at least
This was from the Four Freedoms series to promote the buying of war bonds during WWII
one piece of his. He was an American painter and illustrator who was prolific for his “slice of life” realism that his pieces portrayed. Each of his works tells a historical story about what was going on in that moment of our American History. He began to really be recognized in the Great Depression and went right through both World Wars, The Civil Rights movement, into the Vietnam War. We lost Norman Rockwell in 1978 and were left with the gifts of his moments in time otherwise known as his life’s work.
Norman Rockwells' painting about Ruby Bridges being court ordered to go to first grade at an all white school
Today, we have the benefit of photography that can be produced quickly with very limited resources but yet, we still get pictures that explain what is happening in our society and how we are moving forward as a society. I have a request to people following Project Kinect. Could you look through your pictures and if any really pop out and share what is happening in our country, past or present, could you email them to me at Gregg@projectkinect.com. I would like to use them in a photo essay here on the project as well as the online magazine, DiGn2it. Give me a little description of what was happening and what you were thinking. This would mean so much to me, thank you.
Here are a few of mine that I would possibly share with you in a project like this.
This was from the Four Freedoms series to promote the buying of war bonds during WWII
People from all over New York City come to Central Park to walk, run, hang out and sail to sailboats.
Kids will still make a playground out of anything
These are signs thrown away after a small protest in Austin, TX on education cuts.
Isla gets infatuated with the cell phone.
Jaryd before he competes in a barista competition
Las Vegas beefs up its trade show circuit to bring in revenue to make up for a lack of construction opportunities.
Paying for parking in Seattle
Outside with all sorts of people
This is getting dressed up to go pontooning
Joe and Kris made a donation in place of a parting gift
Chris and Jean enjoy eachothers company at our friend Christine’s wedding
We have changed into a people where everyone can go to the baby shower and yet it is still showering the mother with gifts
Norman Rockwells’ painting about Ruby Bridges being court ordered to go to first grade at an all white school
Last Sunday I went to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area so I could walk the 2011 Minnesota AIDS Walk. I was walking with the St. Paul Public Schools(SPPS) Gay Straight Alliances(GSA) that are sponsored by a St. Paul organization called Out for Equity. Together, our team raised over two thousand dollars with a total of about twenty-five walkers. It really was an amazing day. The day was full of pride, excitement and huge sense of community was raised because we were all there to help raise awareness on AIDS/ HIV and promote the education of it.
While I am staying with different people throughout the country, I am attempting to thank them by doing chores, making dinner, or helping out with odd jobs around the house. I even dog-sat for Jeremy while I was in Baltimore. While I was in Rockford, I painted a wall with Melanie. I really love those moments where yes, I’m helping someone out by doing a chore or odd job, but I am actually doing it with them. I get to connect with them and the activity forces us to keep the attention on the task and not on other interferences such as the cell phone or facebook. Here I ask Melanie a couple questions before I actually pic up the brush.
For three weeks in June, Alyssa and Gregg will be in Tuscaloosa to help with tornado relief and clean up from the devastating storms that ravaged the Tuscaloosa area in April. This is an extremely lofty project and we will need a lot of assistance in the short time we have to get down there by June 5th.
We will be having a fundraiser/ school supplies and first aid drive later this month in Wisconsin Dells, WI. Our focus is the schools of Tuscaloosa so we really want to focus on those donations to bring down there with us. The date for the drive will be announced in the next few days.
Here is a list of tools that we will be working on to accomplish our goal. If you are able to help with any of this or have any suggestions, please email me at gregg@projectkinect.com.
Gas Cards and or Gas sponsorship
A donated car/truck/van for one month
School supplies/first aid supplies for schools
Post Cards/Information Cards/Banner donation for drive
Thank you to David Black and your fantastic video.
This endeavor is in partnership with Project Kinect and the Forsaken Generation.
Dauphin Island was a three hour unexpected surprise. When we got onto the island, we really had no idea what it was that we were looking for. We drove around, looked for any signage but didn’t see anything that was significant to Project Kinect. Then, once we were in line for the fairy, we found something of interest. The ferry pick up spot was also the location for the Saw Grass Point Marsh Shoreline and Habitat Restoration. Not only are they attempting to make precautions to save the shoreline, but they are also setting up cement barriers to slow down waves as well as help prevent and destruction from possible oil spills in the future.
These pictures are of the Shoreline and Habitat Restoration as well as Dauphin Island and the surrounding area. As you see, all the houses are on stilts in attempts to battle any future hurricanes. While we were driving through the area, we couldn’t help to notice how many homes were up for sale. In the last several years, this area has been hit by many hard storms as well as suffering from last year’s oil spill. With that and the economy, it makes for a bad equation. The residents that have been around for many years though are diehards and have no plans of moving anytime soon.
**All three links are different and have additional information to what is happening in this area. Please check them all out if you’re interested.
These group of boys were catching hermit crabs. We’re not entirely certain why, but boys will be boys
All around us there were oil platforms as a constant reminder of our dependency. What are the chances of another oil spill?
To get off of the island and get back on track of our journey toward Saint Petersburg, we took the Dauphin Ferry across to the eastern shoreline of Alabama. It really looks like an untouched part of the country that I’m afraid, because of the low cost of real-estate, will soon be developed and the natural beauty will be history. The final pictures are of this shoreline. I absolutely fell in love with this part of the country. I look forward to getting back there at some point soon after my journey.
While I was in Las Vegas, I got a chance to talk with Justin from the Ethiopian Community Development Council, INC(ECDC), about the Human Feng Shui Project. What this is set out to do is to successfully place refugees into American Society here in Las Vegas. We talked a lot about funding, help from both the state and local government which is practically non-existent and also contributions from the casinos because essentially, these refugees are going to work in them and I feel that the casinos have a social obligation to help out their community.
I also asked if there were being any agreements made about housing the refugees in some of the empty houses that sit in Las Vegas after the hit the city took with foreclosures. The empty houses unfortunately don’t get used for and such purpose but there are some amazing financial assistance programs though to help them get to first time home ownership. When it comes to immediate housing, there are a certain number of apartment complexes that offer lower rent through the different organizations.
I also asked about the success rate of full families versus single adults. The single adults tend to adapt better to our society. We got on the conversation about the children and how do they adapt with this change. I’ve included that in this edited version of the full interview. I ask that you take a look into these programs in your communities because these refugees are coming to America because they want a new life; They want to be American because they no longer have a life behind them. If you want to learn more about this organization as well as others like it, please check out the African Community Center of Las Vegas.
Can’t wait to be in Austin. Check out the Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations(APASO) conference March 7th-10th. It is going to be a great time to hear about a ton a greatness happening in our arts community. This is sponsored by Austin Creative Alliance. Check out their websites so you can get fully educated on all the amazing things they’re working on and getting out to the community.
I was in San Diego this weekend and got a moment to meet up with my friend Molly. Molly works for the San Diego Youth Symphony and conservatory(SDYS). Right now SDYS biggest focus is on creating the mold for a program to get instruments into the hands of children. It is a phenomenal program that has had a lot of success in other countries such as Venezuela where Gustavo Dudamel is from. He is an excellent example of what can be produced from such programs.
Gustavo Dudamel grew up in Venezuela where he apart of the program El Sistema,which influences hundreds of thousands of children each year. El Sistema targets underserved communities and focuses on putting musical instruments in the hand of the children from those communities. This last year, Gustavo Dudamel took over as the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He could also be seen last summer conducting last summer at the Hollywood Bowl. It was an extremeley passionate concert to anyone who got the chance to make it.
Now, here in the United States, many cities are adopting such programs and one of the most successful is SDYS. Molly loves her job at SDYS. She goes to work each day feeling that she is able to give back to the community while still working in the arts community. She is a cellist, so being in the world of music is extremely important to her. The entire staff at SDYS must being doing something correct because they’ve been most recently featured in The New York Times and The San Diego Tribune.
This isn’t necessarily about The San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, it’s about these programs that are through out our entire country. Reach out, find out what you can do with that trumpet you haven’t played in years or that violin that you just haven’t bothered to get re-strung. Those instruments have amazing new homes that could foster the next generation of musicians. If not donating an instrument, then definitely go be an audience member of a youth music concert. Supporting youth music programs can really just be going, listening, and applauding when it is over. We never know what that will do for one of the little people who are performing up on stage in front of you. We forget how essential music is to us, especially in the early years of our lives.
