CHNY2k9 DeepBlueRipple Triple Donation Drive Results
Participants: CHNY, Little Feat & RatDog fans
January/February 2009
West Haven Children’s Home for the Disabled, Copse, Hanover Parish:
DeepBlueRipple has been working with West Haven Children’s Home for the Disabled since 2005. DBR’s executive director is a disability specialist in the United States and thus has been working closely with the orphanage administration on project design and implementation. The ultimate goal of the West Haven/DeepBlueRipple project is to enhance the therapeutic environment for the 80+ permanent residents, to expose them to activities that could stimulate cognitive and emotional development, and to increase opportunities for bonding and forming ongoing relationships with the outside world.
To meet the goal of program and curriculum development DeepBlueRipple has been working on designing special education and recreational, art, and music activities that are developmentally appropriate and modified to fit the capabilities and needs of the residents. West Haven finally has a teacher yet she has no special education training or access to educational materials. Thus, in an attempt to support the development of a successful special education department the bulk of beginning reader books, educational materials (flashcards, beginning writing tablets, etc.), and workbooks from this year’s triple donation drive went to West Haven. In addition, since many of the children responded extremely well to art activities DeepBlueRipple has done with the children during past service projects, an enormous supply of developmentally appropriate art supplies were donated to West Haven (finger paint, watercolor paint, markers, paper). 5 hula hoops were donated to the physiotherapy department for use in movement therapy with the children. As part of our continuing effort to expose the residents to music, dance, and rhythm CHNY handed out over 20 shakers to the children during the CHNY concert so they could participate in the music making.
The other equally important project goal is to decrease the significant isolation of West Haven residents and therefore increase their access to bonding, human interaction, and relationship building - all of which are vital for healthy emotional and physical development. To accomplish this goal, in addition to bringing volunteers from the States DeepBlueRipple works to increase Jamaican interaction with West Haven so the children gain increasing exposure to their own culture and people, and gain vital opportunities to form lasting relationships. To continue encouraging ongoing touch therapy with the bedridden children, CHNY donated 2 gallons of massage oil.
Lastly, West Haven is in significant need of basic toiletry items, especially dental and hygiene products. Thus, they received the bulk of those donations from the drive.
Donated items included:
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
2 large suitcases
Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer
Notebook paper
Folders
Index cards
Educational Workbooks
Magic Markers
Construction Paper
Drawing Pads
Elementary story books
Beginning reader books
Coloring & Activity books
Pencils
Pens
Hair bands
Miscellaneous toiletries
Massage oil
Clothing
Shoes
Bar soap
Shakers
1 cane
Mt. Airy All-Ages School, Mt. Airy, Westmoreland Parish:
Mt. Airy All-Ages is a new addition to the DeepBlueRipple family. The executive director met Mt. Airy students at the Friends of the West End Kids Fair and followed up with a visit to the school with CHNY musicians to perform for the children and to meet the administration. Mt. Airy is a rural, isolated, small middle school deep in Westmoreland Parish about 45 minutes from Negril. The principal is deeply committed and is known to open her own home to Mt. Airy students who travel too far to get to school and are at risk of dropping out. The school has no art or recreation departments, a fledgling music department that just recently started teaching African drumming, and a local professional dancer who donates his time to teach African dance to those who can stay afterschool. Mt. Airy is also in significant need of even the most basic educational materials and classroom supplies. DeepBlueRipple therefore decided to donate all recreational equipment from the triple donation drive to Mt. Airy to begin a physical education/recreation department. A huge portion of art supplies were donated for the purpose of initiating the development of an art curriculum. A Cassio keyboard and over 30 recorders with instructional booklets were donated to bolster the supplies for their forming music department. To assist with educational materials & classroom supplies, DeepBlueRipple donated enough school supply items to cover the needs of their small campus for a school year, and a significant amount of middle school age workbooks and flashcards.
Donated Items include:
Educational workbooks
Elementary & Middle School teaching materials
Pencils
Pens
Pencil Sharpeners
Erasers
500 rulers
Composition notebooks
Spiral notebooks
Folders
Watercolor paint sets
Paintbrush sets
Paints
Glue
Crayons
Construction paper
All Recorders & instructional booklets
Cassio Keyboard & stand
Shakers
Kazoos
harmonicas
15 Hula Hoops
Soccer balls
Frisbees
Sidewalk chalk
Jump ropes
Post-it notes
Rusea’s High School (Band Instrument Drive), Lucie, Hanover Parish:
DeepBlueRipple has been working with Rusea’s High School since 2004 and over the years the collaboration has produced: school supply drives; a student assembly on cultural preservation & pride; a school assembly musical performance by Smithsonian recognized music preservation artist Ras Allen; a research study on Jamaican high school age perspectives of the tourism industry & cultural barriers to international research in schools with the University of North Carolina, Greensboro; and most recently an orchestra instrument drive with their music department to create the first band at Rusea’s since they opened in the late 1700’s.
Donated items include:
1 clarinet (new)
2 acoustic guitars (new)
1 trumpet (new)
1 trombone (new)
Instructional materials beginning guitar
1 reed cleaning & repair kit
1 horn cleaning kit
Green Island High School, Green Island Hanover Parish:
Green Island High School has been part of the DeepBlueRipple family for 2 years. Many of the children in the West End Negril neighborhoods where many DeepBlueRipple projects are located attend Green Island High School, so supporting the institution was a natural byproduct of our strengthening community partnership. Green Island HS has many needs, and after much discussion with the school it was agreed upon that the departments struggling the most were math, science, foreign language, and art. Therefore, the Vernier Data Collection Lab Kit, all instructional materials and classroom supplies for upper level math and science, and beginning foreign language materials went to Green Island. There are many talented art students at Green Island but few supplies accessible to them, so the drive donated all advanced art supplies to their art department. Lastly, many Green Island High School students struggle to purchase even the most basic school supplies. Thus, DeepBlueRipple equipped the school with a stock of high school age school supplies to be distributed fairly throughout the school year based on student need.
Donated Items Include:
All calculators
Rulers
3-ring binders
Folders
Composition notebooks
Colored pencils
Drawing pads
Spanish & French instruction kits
Vernier Data Collection Lab (Chemistry, Electricity, Physics)
All Reference books (Atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, grammar, etc.)
High School Books
Teacher supplies (paper clips, rubber bands, glue sticks, etc.)
Pencils
Pens
Pencil sharpeners
Erasers
Highlighters
Math & Physics instruction books
Divers Village Girls Club, West End Negril, Westmoreland Parish:
The Divers Village Girls Club was conceived by a local West End Negril woman who wanted to guide pre-teen and teenage girls in positive life directions and away from gravitating toward high risk behaviors. She presented her idea to DeepBlueRipple in 2006 and the collaboration grew exponentially from there. What began as an informal group of 6 girls has now expanded to a more cohesive community of 30+ members! Last year DeepBlueRipple helped the DVGC put on a pizza sale fundraiser and catalyzed an informal talent show. The impromptu show was a huge success and encouraged the girls to dream. Their dreams became reality when they rallied men in the community to help them build a little stage on the West End where they could perform throughout the year. The DVGC has also held other organized activities such as camp-outs and craft projects. Last year the DBR donation drive donated 10 hula hoops and a year’s supply of activity kits and art/craft supplies to the DVGC to encourage constructive after-school & weekend activities. This year the triple donation drive was again able to stock the DVGC with an enormous quantity and variety of art and craft supplies and activity kits to last for another year.
Donated items include:
Art kits
Craft materials
Crayons
Magic markers
Children’s tattoos
Stickers
Paint
Construction Paper
Spiral Notebooks & Journals
Pens
Pencils
Coloring books
Individual children and families - West End Negril, White Hall, Mt. Airy, Orange Hill, Green Island, and more:
DeepBlueRipple International’s mission is partnering with communities to provide art, music, play, and education to disadvantaged youth. Many of those partnerships take the form of formal relationships involving schools and institutions as this is often the most effective and efficient way to accomplish wide-reaching, lasting change within communities. There is another equally vital component to DBR’s approach to community partnership, however, that recognizes the priceless value of relationships on an individual level. Since our projects began in 2002, we have formed an ever-increasing network of friends and family of all ages, levels of education, and socio-economic backgrounds. These friendships have been invaluable in helping us gain the insight and feedback we need about the Jamaican culture to make sure our project development is truly meeting the needs of the community it seeks to serve. From government officials to business owners to educators; from parents to children to the elderly; from the prosperous to the middle class to the homeless; each individual has been an equal contributor and deserves credit for their part in the success of our endeavors.
Donated Items Include:
Backpacks filled with school & art supplies
Elementary & Middle School books
Toiletries
1 cane
2 hotpots
Coffee grinder
Kitchen supplies
Tote bags
The Fostex 16 track digital recorder that Tree Sounds Studios donated at CHNY2k8 went to Kenyatta Hill, son of Joseph Hill of Culture. Kenyatta has started classes in Kingston for Jamaican youth to learn how to use recording equipment and learn skills for the music business. The donated recorder is a huge boon for the fledgling school and will enable Kenyatta to increase the classes he can offer.
Cash donations and fundraising went to cover the following costs:
- Rental of 2 buses & driver compensation to transport CHNY musicians, CHNY participants, and locals from Negril to West Haven Children’s Home for the Disabled Concert 1/29/09.
- Rental of 1 bus and driver compensation to transport Negril Escape groundskeepers and locals to West Haven Children’s Home for the Disabled to work on the vegetable garden that feeds the children & to help care for kids; donations for West Haven were also delivered at this time 2/5/09
- Friends of the West End Kids Fair art supplies 1/25/09
- Friends of the West End Kids Fair snacks & drinks for the children 1/25/09
- 3 van trips from CHNY headquarters at Negril Escape to the Grand Lido 1/26, 1/30, 2/1/09 to pick up donations and deliver them to donation storage & sorting center
- Transportation to Mt. Airy All-Ages 1/28/09 for CHNY musician classroom performance
- Drinks & food for local volunteers as compensation for donating their time for the following activities: working on West Haven garden, donating performances, sorting & counting donations, delivering donations
- Van rental for Donation delivery to: Mt. Airy All-Ages (Mt. Airy), Green Island High School (Green Island), and Rusea’s High School (Lucea) 2/4/09
CHNY2K8 Donation Drive & Service Project Results
February 2008
West Haven Children’s Home (DeepBlueRipple)
• Toiletries
• Clothing
• Recreational Equipment
• Hand Percussions
Donations delivered along with an afternoon concert with 26 musicians in the general pavilion and then performing bedside music for each bedridden child. The highest of praise and gratitude goes out to the musicians who made this all possible and brought healing to these children's hearts through music: Andy Pond, George Pond, Sean Foley, all the members of Laura Reed & Deep Pocket, Mark Schimick of Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Natti Love Joys, Lorin Rowan, Bobby Miller, Bill Liggin, Sugar Kayne, and Greg Hollowell. Infinite gratitude to the following folks who documented our musical journey through photos, recording, and video: George Wash Rodgers, Bobbe Jacobs, Tess Conway, Leigh Hillard, Scott Eicholtz. And to those who accompanied the musicians & film crews and danced, laughed, loved, and played with the children of West Haven: Nicole Potter, Julie McAleer, Elana Himmelfarb, Libre Brousseau, David Morris, Donnis Wooten, and Harvey Toub. A big thanks to Mr. Lloyd Johnson, JP and Ms. June Thompson Principal of Rusea's High School who took time out of their busy schedules to meet us at West Haven to join in on the merriment. Lastly, thanks to Ms. Merdella Grant, Administrator of West Haven and the entire West Haven nursing staff for allowing us the honor of playing for the kids, singing along and joining in on the fun, and helping us make the visit go smoothly.
Green Island High School (DeepBlueRipple & Feat Fan Excursion)
• Physics and Math Lab Installation
• 134 high school reference and fiction books
• Ruler sets, rulers, protractors, compasses
• Teacher stickers
• Glue
• Index cards
• Pencils
• Pens
• Erasers
• Pencil sharpeners
• Scissors
• Calculators
• 3 ring binders
• Notebooks, Notebook paper, Writing pads
• Tape
• Highlighters
• Paint brushes, colored pencils, construction paper, poster paint,
and other supplies for the Art Department
• Cookbooks for the home economics Department
• Various Educational Instruction Books
School supplies will stock classrooms and be handed out throughout the year to students unable to afford school supplies. The Physics Department had no teaching materials, so has had to borrow from other high schools. They will now be able to prepare their students for their comprehensive Physics exam!
Backpacks with Art & School Supplies (DeepBlueRipple & Feat Fans)
Over 100 filled backpacks were individually distributed to children in Negril and White Hall neighborhoods.
Negril All-Ages School (DeepBlueRipple & Feat Fans)
• Drawing & Construction Paper
• Markers
• Colored Pencils
• Glue Sticks
• Crayons
• Modeling Clay
• Arts & Crafts Supplies
• Stickers
• Glitter
• Teacher stamps
• Playdough
• Children’s Safety Scissors
• Paint Brushes
• Erasers, Paper Clips, Pencils, etc.
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Stencil Sets
• Watercolor Paint Sets
• 22 Children’s Reference Books
• 200 Early Reader Books
• 302 Middle School Books
• 30 sets of Educational Instructional material (Math, Spelling,
reading. Etc.)
Rusea’s Band Instrument Drive (DeepBlueRipple & Feat Fans)
• 1 Baby Martin Acoustic Guitar
• 1 Epiphone Acoustic Guitar
• 1 Tenor Saxophone
• 1 Music Stand
• 2 trumpets
• 3 Clarinets
• 2 Flutes
• 28 Recorders & Instructional Books
• 1 small TomTom & pair of sticks
Divers Village Girls Club (DeepBlueRipple & Feat Fans)
• Tye Dye Bandanna Activity (facilitated by Sharon Garrison)
• 50 Beginning Reader Books
• 16 Coloring Books
• All activity books, craft kits, art supplies
• Home School Supplies for Elementary Level Instruction
Tia Mandolin Project (DeepBlueRipple)
Tia Brooks, daughter of Ruth & Ruben Brooks of The Overtakers, was presented with a brand new mandolin that was handcrafted in North Carolina. Mark Schimick of Larry Keel & Natural Bridge dreamed up, spearheaded, and brought this fantastic project to completion. Tia was handed her new mandolin along with instructional booklets and a new hard case on stage at The Grand Lido during a Little Feat concert.
1st Annual Friends of the West End Kids Fair (DeepBlueRipple)
The children of the West End Neighborhoods of Negril were treated to a spectacular festival of events run by enthusiastic and generous volunteers from CHNY. Activities and workshops included: watercolor painting with Nicole Potter, orgami with Marilyn & Sandy Palsha, tie dye with Karen Dillingham and crew; a drumming workshop with Bill Liggin & a harmonica workshop with Jah-T, Laura Reed and Horse; boomerang with Wes, frisbee, soccer, hacky sack taught by many volunteers, and a hula hoop workshop with Melanie Mac Neil; face painting & kids tattoos; and an appearance by Kazoo the Clown (Andy Hiles), who handed out over 200 kazoos and led a symphony of kazoo merriment. Live music was donated by members of CX1 & Snake Oil Medicine Show, Peter & Lorin Rowan, Bobby Miller, Laura Reed & Deep Pocket, Natti Love Joys, and Mark Schimick of Larry Keel & Natural Bridge. The Fair culminated with an extraordinary kid-operated Chinese Dragon Parade led by a band of CHNY minstrels and CHNY volunteers, who led them around the Fair and through their neighborhood. Over 40 harmonicas, 200 kazoos, many hand percussion instruments, and lots of frisbees & hacky sacks were gifted to local children who attended the event. Thanks to each and every person who came out to make this event spectacular. We couldn't have done it without all of you. A special thanks to Nicole Potter who motivated kids to paint pictures for the disabled children of West Haven, matted the paintings, and then brought them with us to West Haven and displayed them on the walls for bedridden children to enjoy. Also a special thanks to Paul & Sunshine Diaz of Tree Sounds Studios who donated 40 Honer Harmonicas to hand out to children at the event, and Horse who donated 10 harmonicas to hand out to children at the event.
Rastafarian Temple Benefit Dinner and Concert (DeepBlueRipple)
CHNY Director of Guest Relations Kim Rivers designed and organized a DeepBlueRipple International Benefit dinner at the Rastafarian Temple in the foothills outside of Negril. It was a smashing success!!! Guests were treated to spectacular sunset views, a traditional Ital dinner, and live music in the exotic Temple gardens and hand carved Temple balconies. Musical talent was generously donated by Lorin Rowan, Natti Love Joys, Troy House, Sugar Kayne, Lee Barbour, and Emil Nomel. This benefit raised $1,000 US dollars to offset costs related to DeepBlueRipple International's service projects.
Proceeds went to:
- Artist transportation and driver costs for the West Haven Children's Home musicians visit & donation delivery in Copse, Hanover Parish.
- Clean-up Day at Central Park for the Kids Fair
- Transportation costs for artists and children performing at the Grand Lido Feat Fan Donations Ceremony
- Transportation and labor costs for collecting and moving the enormous quantity of donations given by the Feat Fan Excursion family from the Grand Lido to the CHNY Donations Sorting Center.
- Transportation and labor costs for delivering donated books and supplies to: Rusea's High School in Lucea, Hanover Parish; Green Island High School in Green Island, Hanover Parish; and Negril All-Ages School in Negril, Westmoreland Parish.
- Overweight airline charges for bringing supplies down from the United States for various DeepBlueRipple events
- Transportation and meal costs for a service project coordination meeting with Mr. Lloyd Johnson, Justice of the Peace of Hanover Parish and Principal June Thompson of Rusea's High School.
- Various other costs related to service projects, Jamaican advisory board meetings, and donation transportation and labor.
Any remaining funds from the Rastafarian Temple Benefit will be placed into DeepBlueRipple's account as seed money for future projects. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to Kim Rivers for dreaming up such a beautiful evening that both entertained and inspired those who attended AND provided much needed funds to offset the costs of our philanthropic ventures.
1st Annual Negril Solar Power Forum (DeepBlueRipple)
Held at Negril Escape, hosted by Carey Wallace, and facilitated by Harvey Toub.
DeepBlueRipple and Tree Sounds Studios of Atlanta, GA donated a Fostex digital 16 track DAT Recorder with headphones set. 3 microphone stands, and 4 microphones to be used for future projects recording children in JA playing music and teaching older children how to use recording equipment. Thanks so much to the generosity and vision of Paul & Sunshine Diaz of Tree Sounds Studios.
