GUITARS NOT GUNS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY PARTNERS WITH MUSIC PROGRAM FOR IMMIGRANT YOUTH

In January 2007, Guitars Not Guns joined forces with the Music Sanctuary Project (MSP), a program that provides guitar and keyboard lessons to youth detained by Homeland Security and housed at a facility in Contra Costa County, CA.  The Music Sanctuary Project began in August of 2006 and became a project of Guitars Not Guns in January to leverage the similarities in goals to serve children in music.

The students of the Music Sanctuary Project are primarily teenagers who came to this country unaccompanied by their parents.  Many of the youth are fleeing violence and abuse in their home countries or are victims of elaborate human trafficking schemes. The youth sometimes stay at the facility for over a year while they go through removal proceedings or apply for asylum or other forms of relief.  MSP provides weekly music lessons to the youth while they are in the facility, and also gives free instruments to youth who leave the facility to live with relatives or in foster homes in the San Francisco Bay Area. When possible, MSP links youth to individuals in the community who can give them free individual music lessons.

MSP lessons are currently taught in Kristen McDonald, Collin Carpenter, and Janelle Orsi. Lessons are taught in Chinese, Spanish, and English. During the first five months of lessons MSP provided lessons to 20 youth from China, India, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and Ecuador. Four out of 12 students who left the facility during that time were given free musical instruments to take with them.

MSP started when a 17-year-old at the facility told his lawyer and social worker (from Legal Services for Children, www.lsc-sf.org) that he has always wanted to learn guitar.  He fears deportation to Central America where he fled his father's severe physical and emotional abuse, pressure of gang involvement, extreme poverty, and the recent suicide of his mother. Realizing that learning to play guitar could mean a great deal for this youth, the young man’s social worker, Sarah Ewald, and a legal intern at Legal Services for Children, Janelle Orsi, fundraised and got 13 instruments donated to start a music program.

In January of 2007, MSP joined forces with Guitars Not Guns (www.guitarsnotguns.org), a national non-profit organization that provides guitars and lessons to foster children, youth at risk, and other deserving children. Guitars Not Guns provides mentoring of children by inviting professional musicians, teachers, entertainers, producers and other music related professionals to speak to the children in their music program, to make them aware of the opportunities a life in music can provide.

Guitars Not Guns and MSP are always looking for free musical instruments, money donations, and people willing to help teach guitar (inside the facility or to foster youth in the community). If you could help, please email Janelle Orsi at Janorsi@aol.com. Please send your contributions to: “Guitars Not Guns” 4 Avis Ct. Orinda, CA 94563 and note in the memo that your contribution is for the Music Sanctuary Project. Guitars Not Guns is a 501(c)3 organization and your contribution will be tax deductible.

Thank you!

Note from Barbara Gorin:

The fundraiser on November 30, 2006 in Blackhawk California for Shepard’s Gate put on by Nicole Tuckers, & Associates was a success! Donations were received for Shepherd's Gate, and we also raised funds by selling the Red House Studios Benefit CD. Singer Songwriter Luke Franks (from the Federalists) performed. You can hear Luke’s bands song on Track number 8 of the benefit CD. Check out the Federalists websites too at http://www.myspace.com/thefederalistsrock and http://www.the-federalists.com/

Jason Moss, the 14 year old singer/song writer, also performed his originals. You can listen to Jason’s original’s at: http://www.myspace.com/jasondanielmoss.

I want to personally thank Nicole Tucker & Associates for inviting us to be part of the fundraiser, Vicky Van Brocklin for getting us the “hook up” with Nicole Tucker, 'Piattis’ Restaurant in Danville, California, for their generous donations of delicious appetizers, Stacy Passeri for the beautiful table decorations, Eric Larson of IKON Copy Service for providing us beautiful color copies of the GnG’s brochure, Ronald G. Shafer, of Shafer Construction and Development for his generous donations, Mitch House, Certified Real Estate Appraiser, for lending us a table, Pete Roberts of Southern Wine and Spirits for donating wine, Patrick David’s Restaurant for a Gift Certificate for the raffle, Frank Darling for weathering the cold, Kelly McAndrews for lending a hand at our table. In addition, Luke Franks and Jason Moss for providing us with wonderful music! I hope I didn’t leave anyone out!

With everyone’s support, we were able to make this event a success, and get recognition for our non-profit. Please look for more exciting events to come in 2007!

Sincerely,

Barbara Gorin

VP, Fundraising

meliketorock@aol.com

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	GNG Teachers at the Boy's and Girl's Club in Martinez California

	photo left: Frank Darling, Raja Singh (the owner of Red House), Randy Davis and his wife Meredith

	Frank Darling President of GNG California and Randy Davis Vice President and lead teacher show a copy of the new CD Music Lives Here..

The Federalists

The Federalists are on track 8 of this new benefit CD.

	For every 10 cd's sold one child will learn to play guitar. - - 12 Tracks 1-ALL HEROS - - 2- MIGGS - - 3-DEAR KEROSINE 4 - COLD HOT CRASH - - 5-FREE SOCIETY 6-NOW WE ARE SIX - - 7-RED HORIZON 8-THE FEDERALISTS - - 9-JUSTIN MCROBERTS 10-THE STILL REVIVAL - - 11-ROUTE 111 12 DAM HANSOME AND THE BIRTHDAY SUITS

RED HOUSE LIVE TEAMS WITH GUITARS NOT GUNS

Red House Live is a new music venue in Walnut Creek, CA. It is a state of the art facility which is based upon membership for all levels of expertise. Red House has recording studios as well as a sound stage setting for jams and organized events. Since its inception, it had been received with great success.

The owner of Red House Live, Raja Singh has been in touch with Guitars Not Guns for over a year. We have been searching for ways to have some kind of a fund raising activity together. Recently, a local community event in Walnut Creek, CA. (Walnut Festival) presented an opportunity for Raja. He volunteered to organize a Saturday night rock concert with bands he knows from Red House Live. As a part of the concert, Raja had each band donate an original song to create a compilation CD made up of ten original rock songs that were performed at the concert. Raja created the CD from scratch, had the cover designed, and cut 1000 CD’s for sale at the concert and at other venues going into the future. He is donating all of the proceeds from the CD sale to Guitars Not Guns.

The GNG volunteers were at the concert along with seven students from a local high school, Miramonte, to sell at the concert and get out the GNG word. Randy Davis, VP of GNG, made several announcements during the concert as did Raja Singh. All of the announcements promoted GNG and the CD. CD's are $10 ea. Pick up a copy of the CD at Red House Studios, Inc. 1667 Botelho Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94596 - (925) 938-6900

Graduation and expansion in Contra Costa.

The Contra Costa County, California chapter of Guitars Not Guns graduated another level 1 class comprised of foster kids and at-risk youth thanks to the efforts of Frank Darling, Randall Davis, David Cronin, Jamie Cronin, Phil Haun and Dylan Serota.  The classes have become popular with prior graduates. GNG promotes the idea that its graduates continue in the program, eventually to become assistant instructors and instructors.  According to Randall Davis, "[i]t is a 'win-win-win' situation.  The grads come back. They learn more about playing guitar and ultimately, they learn more about themselves, more about learning, and life lessons in cooperation, compromise, hard work, dedication, success. pride and the 'golden rule.'.  First time students  have mentors that are their own age with their same interests and problems. The grads learn to be leaders.  They also free the instructors to help those who have a more difficult time with the lessons and techniques."   

Randall S. Davis

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We are looking for volunteer teachers for our new music program in Contra Costa County. Must be able to pass a background check. If you know a few chords you can help teach our beginners please volunteer now. Help us make this music program available to all the underpriveleged kids in Contra Costa County. An alternative to violence.

	Presidents Corner

We began a new class for the Contra Costa County chapter of GNG. The class was made up of 10 foster and underprivileged children.

The Contra Costa chapter is about one year old and over that year our group has been most successful at finding children to be in the program, finding places to conduct the class, and finding guitar teachers. Our biggest challenge, as it is in any non-profit, is raising enough funds.

We have a unique way of finding children. We work with a coordinator at the County Family Services organization. This is the organization that manages foster care for the county. They advertise the class and coordinate the list of children who are interested. There is one point person, a social worker employed by the County, who coordinates special programs. She is our focal point for acquisition of deserving students.

Our group has split the work up so that no one person is overloaded. Additional teachers are always welcome. A local high school student recently became a volunteer teacher. The local high schools run programs that require students to volunteer time to local organizations. We believe this could become a significant resource in the future.

We plan our classes as we have funding. At present, our funding will permit two more classes. Our goal is to eventually have a class or two going all of the time which means approximately 15-20 classes per year. But, as you all know, it takes about $1000 per class so we must look for a source of funds that will provide $20,000.00 or more per year to operate a continuous program.

I want to personally thank Randall Davis who serves as the VP of Contra Costa County branch and heads up the guitar teachers. Also, a special thanks to our guitar teachers David and Jamie Cronin and Phil Haun. Our special coordinator at the county is Brenda Sutherland. Brenda does a terrific job coordinating the kids as well as screening our guitar teachers.

Frank Darling