From the Podium...

Hello from New Orleans!

At the 2nd anniversary of hurricane Katrina's unwelcome arrival, i'm extremely happy to report that big changes are happening for the SSF. We are about to become the newest client of Hess Marketing, a very well-established and highly-regarded firm run by Eric Hess, a long-time New Orleanian. In addition to their commercial clients, they have a deep history of helping non-profit organizations, and are excited about representing The SSF and helping it become more known, respected, and successful. Plans include recruiting a high-powered board of well-known and connected movers and shakers, holding a star-studded fundraiser, raising our visibility and effectiveness in New Orleans, and further improving our internet presence. It's a big step, and we're eager to take it and move to a new level in our growth.

But it is with great regret that i must also announce the departure of Sharon Ober, our volunteer office manager and executive assistant extraordinaire. Since January, she has done a truly amazing job of organizing and running the office, writing grants, generating income, improving the website, creating more presence on the web, and trying to keep me on task(perhaps her greatest achievement!). She has literally lived in the office and put in countless hours of selfless dedication just for room and board, and has been absolutely indispensable and instrumental in the success of the SSF so far. We've known that she'd be moving on for some time, and it was through both her efforts to find a replacement and Divine Providence that just as she's leaving we have connected with Hess Marketing. I feel incredibly blessed to have had her thoroughly invaluable assistance, and to be able to look forward to the future despite her departure. We know that she will be a blessing to whomever she works with and for, and wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Good luck and Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Sharon!

Our "Music To The People!" Free Summer Music Camp was a resounding success, staring with 5 students in June and ending with 23 in August. Funded by a grant from The Greater New Orleans Aftershool Partnership, with corporate support from Southern Scrap Materials and other local businesses, we taught the kids music theory, played drums and sang together, gave lessons on piano, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, and trumpet, allowed them ample free time to make friends and play games, and put on a talent show every Friday for their parents and the community. I'm happiest to report that many of the parents told me that "all they talk about at home is how much fun they had at Mister Pete's camp!" Mr. Robert Thomas, a 22-year old college student and future band director, was my right hand man, and i couldn't have done it without 'Mr. Bobby,' who was absolutely wonderful with the kids. He just became a proud papa for the first time, and i'm really looking forward to meeting Harmoni Thomas, and watching her grow. Since i don't have any grandchildren yet, i may have to practice on Harmoni, and see how much i can spoil her!...

We have just received a grant from the GPOA Foundation to give private lessons to the students at Frederick A. Douglass High School before and after school, and are awaiting funding from a grant from The Arts Council of New Orleans for the same purpose. We have also been awarded a grant from Louisiana Decentralized Funding to attend a conference in Portland, OR, in April about non-profit funding strategies. Since my daughter lives in Portland and my mother and brother live in Ashland, OR, i'm especially happy to have gotten that one, so i can combine a family visit with the business trip!

Two new projects are in the planning/preparation stages now-
a school for basic piano repair and tuning, and the opening of The First United Temple Of Harmony. We've collected 35 donated pianos that need repair, and want to use them as project pianos to teach musicians basic repair and tuning skills, so they can add more salable skills to their resumes, give new life and homes to unwanted pianos, and increase the general level of tuning, especially among pianos that might not otherwise see a tuner. The pianos are being housed in a flooded school building that still has no electricity, so the hope is to open the school in the better weather of October, and have them repaired and sold or donated before the chill of winter. We're hoping that grant money can be found to pay me, so that the school is free to the students, and can generate income through sales of the refurbished pianos, with a tax deduction for the donors. We're always looking for the win-win-win solution...

I am personally most excited about the opening of The Temple. We're aiming at having the first service on the first Sunday of October, also because of the expectation of good weather. As luck would have it, that coincides with a visit from our friends and fellow musicians Bill Hudson and Al Coffey of The Feel-Good Tour  (http://feelgoodtour.blogspot.com/) from Virginia, and Rich Baumann of The Million Closets Project(http://www.millionclosets.org/) from Wisconsin, who are scheduled to be here on another trip bringing donated musical instruments to distribute to schools in need. Our windowless cinder-block building with the corrugated metal roof is just a bit like a sauna these days, but the eight skylights give a nice natural light, and once the temperatures are right we're anticipating upwards of a couple hundred people here dancing, singing, playing, praying, crying, laughing, and learning about Harmony, and experiencing Music with a spiritual intention in a family setting of inclusion and acceptance. I can't wait to put together the band and choir, with pictures of Bach and Louis Armstrong behind the pulpit...

It was on Labor Day of 2005 that i decided to go to New Orleans to help in the rebuilding effort, and began the SSF in order to fund the trip. It has been an incredible 2 years since that day, and it is my deepest belief that the good luck and progress that the SSF has enjoyed comes directly from Above, and i am just the lucky one who gets to put one foot in front of the other, keep breathing, stay Open to Divine Guidance, and live this adventure during the rest of my limited engagement here on Mother Earth. I further believe that every mention of Steven's name is a Prayer of Gratitude for the Gift that was His Life, and a Prayer of Hope that for the rest of My Life i can Honor his Memory through Being of Service in Helping to Create Ever-Greater Harmony and Healing.

Yours in Peace, Love, and Harmony,

peter

Our free 6-week Summer Band Program for New Orleans music students grades 1-12 started on June 25 and ended August 3 with a final show for parents and friends at 11 AM. The kids had a great time and learned a lot! We've put together some slideshows at http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/stevenspringfoundation/Summer%20Band%20Program/?action=view&current=48b4965c.pbw and http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t236/stevenspringfoundation/Summer%20Band%20Program/?action=view&current=a4f1de28.pbw Hope you enjoy them!

In other music education news, we'll be continuing our work with the band program at Frederick A. Douglass High School when classes start again at the end of August. Located in New Orleans's 9th Ward, Douglass has a drop-out rate of 18.9% and has consistently been rated 'Academically Unacceptable' by the Louisiana Department of Education.  In addition to our training sessions with the Douglass band, this year we plan to expand our outreach with our "Deep Roots, High Hopes" program. This afterschool project will bring local professional and amateur musicians in to work with interested Douglass students so that they can personally pass on the unique cultural traditions of New Orleans music.

Just a quick reminder: if you do your back-to-school shopping online, remember that hundreds of merchants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Staples, Gap, Old Navy, Sears, Macy's, eToys, Vons and more will donate part of your purchase price to the SSF -- and it won't cost you anything! Just go to http://ssf.freepledge.com, then click through to your favorite websites and do your shopping as usual. You don't need to sign in to Freepledge unless you want to -- you just need to use their links to get to your shopping sites so that your purchases will get counted. Thanks for your support!

This August and September eBay Giving Works will launch the "Spotlight on Education" event to generate funding and awareness for organizations dedicated to improving lives through education, and we're happy to report that the SSF is one of their featured organizatons!

For the next 2 months your eBay sales or purchases can help the SSF continue its work with music students in New Orleans.

Sellers can go to http://pages.ebay.com/givingworks to register for the program, list their items and then decide how much of the selling price to donate to the SSF. They also get a discount off eBay's selling fees!

Meanwhile, buyers can go to the SSF's eBay page at http://missionfish.org/NPMMF/nphomepage.jsp?NP_ID=19367 to see items whose purchase benefits the SSF. Hope you find something good!

Yes, the SSF also has a presence on that "other" social network. If you're a Facebook member, we hope you'll support our cause "Healing Through Music" (go to http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/8085?recruiter_id=2587088 to log in) and help spread the word about our work. There's a lot that we've accomplished here in New Orleans, but there's so much more that remains to be done, and we can't do it alone. Your assistance, both financial and in terms of spreading awareness about us, is absolutely necessary if we're to continue our work helping NOLA musicians and music students recover from Katrina. Thank you all so much for your generosity and support.

Hard to believe that there's just 2 weeks of our summer music program left -- the past 4 weeks have just flown by! The kids have been having a great time - they're mainly beginners, and mainly elementary-school age. Lots of enthusiasm, especially for the drums!

Mornings start with a drum circle and group percussion instruction. Then it's group voice lessons and music theory, followed by group instrument instruction in strings, brass, woodwinds, and piano. Next comes lunch, and the afternoon is spent in practice time and individual private lessons with the instructors.

Fridays are always especially fun. The students end the week by presenting a talent show for their family and friends, so if you're near 3811 Chartres around 3 PM on a Friday afternoon, feel free to stop by and enjoy the show! And if you're not, we'll be putting up photos on Photobucket in the next few days so you'll be able to see some of our very talented performers.

And in other summer music program news, when the current program at our facility ends on August 3, we're going to be following it with a free 2 week program for elementary-age students at AP Tureaud Elementary School, located at 2021 Pauger St. Class size is limited to 30 students, and the instructors will be our own Program Director Peter Spring and Mr. Edwin Harrison, music teacher at AP Tureaud. Classes will run from 9AM-3PM Mon-Fri from August 6-17, so if you know a child who would like to participate, phone us at 504-942-0495 for more information and registration.

If you've visited our main website at www.stevenspring.org/history, then you know that the SSF is named in honor of Steven Spring, a talented young musician who died from cancer at age 22. What you may not know is that there is a terrific resource available for adolescent and young adult cancer victims.

http://imtooyoungforthis.org/ was recently named one of Time magazine's 50 best websites, and with good reason. The site was set up by Matthew Zachary, a young pianist and brain cancer survivor, and it's full of practical information and useful links. If you or anyone you know has been diagnosed with cancer, please check it out. You'll be glad you did.

It's amazing how much musical talent there is here in New Orleans! Jenna Sherry made her violin solo debut at age 9 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra's Young People's Concert series, and went on to become a 5-time winner of the LPO's Concerto Competition. If you're a NOLA classical music fan, you've already have had the privilege of hearing her play -- Jenna was with the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra from its beginning back in 1995 all the way through 2004, and she served as co-concertmaster from 1999-2004.

This talented and hard-working young lady is having a very busy summer! Jenna's quartet just won the 2007 Kuttner Competition at Indiana U's Jacob School of Music, and she's on her way to the 3rd annual Beijing International Music Festival and Academy in Beijing, China in August. Then she'll be launching her debut as a concert artist when she plays the Barber Violin Concerto with the Temple Orchestra of Temple, Texas in September.

There's no question that Jenna has both the ability and the dedication to pursue her dream of a career in chamber music. But right now what she doesn't have is an instrument that matches her abilities. In order to get the depth she needs to grow and develop as a successful concert artist, Jenna needs to have a top quality concert solo violin. If you or your organization can help her achieve this goal, please contact Kathleen Tyree of the Greater New Orleans Suzuki Forum (gnosuzuki@juno.com). For more information about this rising young musical star, check out the Times-Picayune article at http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1182408045176630.xml&coll=1

Did you now that last year alone, more than 300 MILLION inkjet and laser printer cartridges were thrown away? And more than 30,000,000 cell phones were tossed or replaced! The plastic, metal and chemical parts of these items break down very slowly, if at all, so they will be lingering in landfills for a long time to come. Not a healthy situation for the earth, or for our children. We at the Steven Spring Foundation are doing our part to reduce the volume of waste that goes into landfills, but we won't get very far without your support.

How can you help? If you're in Orleans Parish, it's easy! Instead of throwing away empty cartridges from your printers, fax machines and desktop copiers, phone us at 504-942-0495 to arrange pickup. Or you can drop off your cartridges and cell phones at our facility located in the Bywater at 3811 Chartres Street (cross streets Pauline and Alvar). We'll take it from there, sending them on to be refilled and reused, or to have their components stripped and recycled as appropriate.

Together we can make a real difference, one ink cartridge or cell phone at a time. Please help us reduce waste by disposing of these items in a safe, environmentally-friendly way. If you have any questions about our Recycling Program, phone the SSF at 504-942-0495 or e-mail us at ssf @jeffnet.org for more information.

We look forward to working with you, and we thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Sharon S. Ober, Volunteer
The Steven Spring Foundation
504-942-0495
ssf@jeffnet.org

Last Thursday, June 21, SSF President Peter Spring received WDSU's "Good Neighbor of the Week" award from Channel 6's Helena Moreno. The interview, which aired on the 6 o'clock news, also featured the volunteer crew of high school teens who have been working hard to get our facility fixed up for our Summer Band Program. Thanks for all the help everybody -- we couldn't have done it without you! And thank you, WDSU Channel 6, for your support!