Category: Social Causes

What do you REALLY know about AMERI’KANA Music?

Making Movies merges classic rock with Latin American rhythms, including African-derived percussion and styles like rumba, merengue, mambo, and cumbia, from across the Americas. Their initiatives empower young musicians and create inclusive spaces, culminating in the documentary AMERI’KANA and the vibrant AMERI’KANA Arts and Music Festival. The band’s upcoming projects include a live album, concert film, and studio album.

Programs for youth..everywhere

Youth on Record (YOR) recognizes that education alone can not solve systemic injustice, nor can it alone liberate youth. Art is a powerful tool, but it also cannot bear the sole responsibility of creating more equitable communities. Still, education and art, when integrated under the right framework, are powerful tools for liberation and equity.

Start Where You Stand, Support The Cultural Enrichment Center

Jamal Skinner, founder and Executive Director of FoCo Cultural Enrichment Center asks, “Initially, I challenge the community. 170,000 people are living in this community. Probably point zero-zero-2% of that are Black teenagers. So my idea is, can we find 1% of 170,000 people who are willing to contribute $5 a month?”

Stand like an Oak with Compassion and Strength

“Music can be a great equalizer…. bringing folks together across the boundaries of country, language, ideals, religions, rage, gender, politics, and everything else that can separate us. I believe, and have felt in the music that I love, a deepening of my own spirit when in musical spaces. A certain levity as well. Some could call it spiritual. Others may call it celebratory. Either way, art calls us into a very sacred space… outside of our heads and our to do lists. From that space, so many things can be built and reimagined. We need artists at the table of policy and design and education. Artists bring the charisma and magnetism that the world is drawn to. Without that, where is the intrigue?”

Big Trouble Little Dumpling Opens with Socially Distanced Driveway Soup Kitchen

If you ask Sam Graf, he’ll tell you dumplings are the perfect food. In fact, he’ll tell you he doesn’t think he’s met anybody who doesn’t like dumplings. This isn’t an idle statement. Graf will also tell you how the dumplings he cooks in his driveway never stick around for long.

Graf has spent ten years exploring dumpling houses. Growing up, he ate potstickers, typically the frozen ones. His first taste of an authentic Asian dumpling was in New York City, in a counter shop lined by steam tables filled with dumplings. You pick out a bunch and they go into a box. From Chicago dim sum to SoHo, Graf has sampled dumplings in big cities and dumplings cooked in shacks to experience the art form. Learning along the way, it reaffirmed he was on the right track but still had to taste more.

RamaMama restaurateur gets what he needs, if not what he wanted

After the pandemic’s arrival and abrupt shutdowns, Lawyer used the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program to float payroll for his core employee base. But when the non-profit Homeward Alliance reached out with a plan to provide two meals daily to homeless people at the Northside Aztland Center in downtown FOCO, he found an opportunity to coordinate with the rescue mission and Catholic Charities to minimize the downtown FOCO homeless population footprint. For 68 day days straight — the beginning of April and into June —, he woke at 4:30 each morning to prepare individually boxed, ready to serve meals. A tight budget required menu creativity, and with little to no employees, he pulled it all together. Lawyer said he was lucky to have the equipment and the commissary — the hub of his company’s food truck and catering operations.

The Juice, The Sauce, and The Love.

Love’s title track, The Juice (feat. Marcus King), is the quintessential part of the entire album. This is the most critical part of the work G. Love and Special Sauce is doing right now. “That song is a protest song about where we’re at right now, about the Trump administration, and his Presidency and kind of how I feel it needs to go.” The Juice is a rallying cry, offering some support to activists, and a call to politicians for change. “Juice is supporting people trying to get [Trump] him out of there and encouraging more people to vote, encouraging people with progressive agendas and liberal values. You know. Giving them some energy.”

Create Places First Friday Creative Relief Fund

On First Friday, 9/1/2017, Create Places of Fort Collins is launching a call for donations. Any musician or artist that donates portions of their sales to the relief efforts of Harvey Hurricane in Houston will be matched dollar for dollar for up to $1000. The donations can be in the form of ticket sales, merch sales, fundraiser shows or any profitable contribution. This initiative encourages local grassroots philanthropy from artist and creatives in Fort Collins.

Fort Collins is the Startup City Built on Rock-n-Roll

Fort Collins, Colorado is a collaborative, non-competitive, startup music city without a big ego. Fort Collins is a city built for musicians by musicians. For over ten years, musicians laid the groundwork for the next golden era of “musicprenuers“ by constructing an ecosystem built on encouragement, support, and empowerment. This shifts the paradigm and disrupts the music industry systems of the past.

Grassroot Soccer Zambia Harnesses the Power of Soccer to Educate

Grassroot Soccer-Zambia: This is a NGO (Non Governmental Organization) in Lusaka, Zambia that educates youth about positive choices while using the power of sport. The messages learned in soccer can translate over to other areas of the children’s lives. Using the power of soccer to make a change they can reduce HIV dramatically in the community. HIV is 100% preventable, and Grassroot Soccer plans to teach the youth how.

Rae McAlister’s Illness Will Not Stop Her From Performing

Every day that Rae plays music is a miracle. Music has always been a part of Rae McCalister. She was born and raised in a musical family. Her musical makeup consists of jazz, folk, and classical training. The thing about Rae is, she has a diagnosis of Myotonia Congenita, Thompson’s disease several years ago after her body was immobile leaving her in a wheelchair.