Good morning!

First, I want to take a quick opportunity to thank you for all of your work for the Haiti Choir Project. What a blessing it was to see all of you come together to help raise over $5000 for food, water, and shelter for the Haitian people. Be sure to check out Citizen Effect for updates on the project!

The second piece comes with the reality that we are not done. The Haitian people still need our support, especially as the rain seasons come. The tent cities will not be able to endure the harsh rains so shelter is an absolute necessity. That’s why, for the month of March, we’re coming alongside World Vision’s Haiti relief efforts. And we’re inviting you to join us. Here’s how we’re going to do it:

• For each week of March, set aside just $10. Think about your coffee budget, gas budget, and the little extras that you purchase each week.  Take a little bit out each week. Just $10. Then, on March 30th at 5PM EST, those who participate will all go to World Vision and donate the $40 we saved.

But there’s also a personal, creative touch to it that I’m absolutely thrilled about:

• Throughout this month, we’d like for all of you who join to create something. It can be a poem, a sculpture, a sketch, a digital media piece, a video…I think you get the picture. Whatever you choose to make, do it as an expression of your personal response to the Haiti earthquake. Then submit the piece (if it’s a sculpture or art piece, take a photograph for us) to Colin- our awesome online media guru- at colin@zyozy.org by March 28th. Send it with brief info on who you are, where you’re from, and the story behind your contribution.

Colin will post the pictures and pieces to the Brighter Way website to create this beautiful digital media gallery. We’re thrilled to move forward on this.  As always, if you have any questions, you can email me (Amy) at amy@zyozy.org. I love hearing from you!

It all starts March 1st! Will you join us?  You can let us know by posting this to your facebook, tweeting the hashtag #10dollarM, or blogging about your experience!

Amy X (@amycarolwolff)

Tomorrow. Can you feel it? It’s happening tomorrow at 6PM EST. We’re releasing the Brighter Way Haiti Choir Project. A friend of mine described it as “We are the World”, but for the regular person- the every day music lover who wants the chance to be a part of something bigger. I think he nailed it on the head. My heart behind this project was, on behalf of my friend Dawn, to create a place for people to sing for Haiti- to use their gifts to bring hope and support. For the full story, check out the video here.

A few people asked how they can help, so last night, the ‘Power Tribe’ and I came up with a few ways.

1. Send this press release to local media sources or any major connections you may have! Haiti Choir Project press release [pdf]

2. Use social media to spread the message. You’ll have the freedom to post the video anywhere. Blogs, your personal websites, facebook.  The twitter hashtag for the project is #HaitiCP.

3. Old-fashioned email/phone calls! Take some time to share this with your friends and family! The more people who see it, the better chance we have to provide for the people of Haiti. It’s that simple. Here’s a draft email that you can use!

Dear friends,

Happy Valentine’s day! I’m writing to share with you a pretty beautiful response to the recent Haiti earthquake. Five choirs from across the world came together and sang “Brighter Way”, a song of hope and encouragement, in order to spread the word about the need in Haiti. The Brighter Way Haiti Choir Project is working with Citizen Effect- an online donation tool- that has partnered with CARE in their relief efforts.

I’d encourage you take 4 minutes and watch the video, donate if you can, and then pass it along to those you love and know. The more people who see this, the more we can come along side Haiti and serve them.

Thank you for joining with me in this.

All my love,

(Insert name here)

—–

Three simple ways to spread the word! Thank you! Get pumped!!

Love,

Amy x

To all those who have signed on to support the spread of the Brighter Way Haiti Choir Project,

Let’s have a quick call! If you’re free on Friday, February 12 at 5PM CST, join us for 30 minutes to discuss the plan to spread the message of this project and the song!

We’ll discuss ways for you to be involved on the social media, networking and fundraising sides of things! And we’ll gladly take your suggestions!  Come with ideas and excitement!! All are welcome!

Call-in details:

Number: (712)-775-7100

Access Code: 429712#

We’ve been tweeting some of the choir videos recently. You can find many of them on the Brighter Way Posterous. Use this as a tool to begin conversations with your network. The page tells the entire story of how this all came together!

I hope you guys feel the energy like I do! We are just days away from a finished project!

And thank you for joining with us!

Amy

Dear friends,

Here we are- the second week into the Haiti Choir Project. We’ve got six choirs committed and they are beginning to work on their videos. I recently got off of the phone with PS22 choir director, Mr. B. They’re kids are beginning to prepare the song- this is their chance to connect with Haiti and they sense the urgency. And just because Haiti isn’t trending on twitter and the media attention is dying, does not mean that this is over. And this is what is next.

A donor has stepped forward, offering a matching grant of $5,000. Think about what that can provide- food for children, medical supplies, a couple of houses.  I think you understand where I’m going. So I’m calling for “Choir sponsors”. For those who would be willing to come alongside CARE’s relief efforts and sponsor one of our six choirs. A choir sponsorship can equal anywhere from $250-$1000. We cannot afford to lose this matching grant- we cannot afford to ignore the Haitian people. Will you answer this challenge?

In looking to bring in a Haitian choir to this project, Steve emailed with a gentleman not far from Port Au Prince who is a director of the Haiti children’s Choir there. He’s expressed interest in joining with us- how beautiful that would be. But right now, cell service isn’t working in Haiti. The message says “Due to the earthquake we are unable to connect with Haiti at this time.” The cell service may not be working, but we will not stop connecting.

My prayer is that this song will unite us in a fight for Haiti. That this video initiative will awaken in us a constant love for this country- a willingness to sacrifice even when it isn’t “media popular to do so”.

Here are the choirs available of sponsorship! Communicate your support by contributing on their behalf!

Voena Children’s Choir: http://voena.org

But that’s not all that happened yesterday. While spending the afternoon with my dad, I got a call from Dr. Scott Mandel- director of the Pacoima Singers, a middle school choir from the LA area magnet school system. This group has travelled around the country to sing for causes that bring hope to others. If you check out their video, you’ll see what a fun group they are!

And finally- as if this wasn’t enough- I got a message from Dan over at Citizen Effect, sharing with me that a sponsor has stepped up to match each donation on behalf of the Choir Project up to $6,000! That means for every dollar donated to CARE on behalf of this project, it will equal $2!  Our hope is to find at least one sponsor this coming week. Remember, every dollar contributed will go directly to CARE’s work in Haiti- no admin, no credit card fees. It’s the real deal You can contribute here.

What we need in the coming week:

5 more choirs to join with us

At least 1 sponsor to contribute at least $6,000 on behalf of this project to CARE’s relief effort in Haiti.

Will you help us?

Again, we’re extremely grateful for what has begun to unfold, fiercely focused to fight for those suffering in Haiti, and hopeful in the anticipation of the great things to come!

~Amy

BRIGHTER WAY
Words and music by Amy Carol Wolff

V1
To those who see the widowed
The infected and abused
To those who hear them asking for deliverance
To those who are angered
By the failed attempts at progress
And are inspired to give the forgotten their voice

C
Show them theres a brighter way
A rushing river gaining ground
Bringing life and hope abound
A brighter love,
One that reaches deep enough
To see their pain and lift them up in grace
This is purpose
For this we sing.

V2
We must join together
Hear the cries of the hopeful
Who know there is power in our passion
Committing to this calling
To be one in our mission, empowering with life

C
Show them theres a brighter way
A rushing river gaining ground
Bringing life and hope abound
A brighter love,
One that reaches deep enough
To see their pain and lift them up in grace
This is purpose
For this we sing.

V3
This is our noble battle,
Our adventure finding beauty,
In the eyes of a child, in the callused hands of poverty
We will not settle for signed paper contracts
We will move, inspiring others to believe
Show them theres a brighter way
A brighter love, oh

C
Show them theres a brighter way
A rushing river gaining ground
Bringing life and hope abound
A brighter love,
One that reaches deep enough
To see their pain and lift them up in grace
This is purpose
For this we sing.
For this we sing.
For those who see

©zyOzy Foundation, 2009 -10

I go into this birthday evening with gratitude, fierce focus and anticipation. Gratitude for all that God has provided, all that each of you have done. With out your willingness, writing and contributions, this would not be possible.

The fierce focus is for those in Haiti that are still suffering. We must continue to be strong in building this for those children that are hurting, the mothers that are suffering, the fathers that are trying to get their bearing. We cannot allow this to be a trend, but rather a commitment to those who need us to raise our voices. For them, I refuse to be silent. I’m a belter. That means I sing strong.

And the anticipation…this one makes me smile. I have such a peaceful anticipation of what is to come in the next few days. If we continue to speak, share this concept and commit to serving the people of Haiti, more will join our effort. I want to not just raise $30,000- I want our country and yes, the world, to experience the transformative power of a unified chorus. We have a message of real, authentic, calloused hope. Let’s continue to share that message with unabashed grace, untainted purity and unrelenting persistence.

An excerpt of Brighter Way:

We will not settle for signed paper contracts

We will move, inspiring others to believe.

Go show them there’s a brighter way…a brighter love.

First, we have our Citizen Effect Project Page! There, you can make a donation to support the CARE project, track how much money we raise, and see how many lives we impact. We’re still looking for corporate sponsors willing to donate on behalf of this project. If you know of any one, please don’t hesitate!

Second, we have officially secured our first choir willing to participate in this project! VOENA (Voices of Eve ‘N Angels), founded in 1994, has performed for President Clinton and President Bush in Washington D.C. and Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in Rome. As goodwill ambassadors, they have toured with their message of celebrating global diversity to China, Mexico, Italy, Greece, and Japan. From the White House, Mondavi Music Festival, Davies Hall to Carnegie Hall.  With 100+ voices ranging in age from 6 to 18, achieves rich and inventive a cappella vocal arrangements by using multiple percussion instruments, dance, and theatrical elements  performing in a splash of color, embracing our many cultural differences. We are THRILLED that they are our first.

Third, we were excited to see this gain some social media attention as Beth Kanter mentioned us in her recent blog on how we can help Haiti. In addition, Hildy Gottlieb of Community Driven mentioned our efforts in a note on facebook! We have had numerous RTs on twitter and continue to reach more people each day.

There are a couple of other really exciting pieces in the works…I will share them as I am able! But trust me-these are major pieces that will bring some significant attention to this effort!

The goal of the next few days: secure at least NINE more choirs across the United States to join in this initiative and secure at least ONE corporate sponsor in the music industry willing to donate on behalf of the project. And we need your help! If you know any churches, small singing groups, university choirs, glee clubs, or anything of the sort, please contact us via twitter! Steve and I are manning the stations!

Also! We now have the sheet music available! Contact me @amycarolwolff if you’d like it! We will have the accompaniment track available this evening.

As a reminder:

Video submissions are due February 10th!

We will premiere the video on February 14th!

Thank you for all that you are doing! Special thanks to Dro, Brian, Lizzie, Stephanie, Dan, May, Katie, Juliana and Evan for your help in these past two days.

Get ready. This is going to be quite the adventure! And remember…this is for Haiti. We will not forget.

Women pray during Mass held outside the city’s main Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. About one hundred people celebrated Mass Sunday morning just outside the Cathedral, which was totally destroyed in Tuesday’s earthquake. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

My heart has broken for Haiti. I listened to a dear friend describe the horror of thinking his wife and two children had been lost in the earthquake. “I was the poorest man in the world,” he said. But that morning, by some miracle, his wife and two little girls walked up to him- rattled, injured, but alive. “And now, I am the richest man in the world,” he said. I’m doing this project for Dawn- the eldest daughter who loves music and is inspired through beauty.

This summer, I wrote a song that is a call to action for those of us who see and hear the pain that others experience. And after taking the time to think through how we want to get involved beyond donating money-the Brighter Way team and our close friends want to issue a call to the choirs of the world to sing “Brighter Way” for Haiti.

Basically here’s the thought- the choirs record themselves singing the song to the accompaniment track that we will have on Wednedsay, January 20th, provided by Gallery of Carpet Recording Studio- one of the best in Chicago. They can orchestrate it vocally any way they’d like. The video can be recorded by flip cam or professionally. Then, we’ll compile all of the videos and use it in 3 ways.

First, send it across social media to share the story of the Haiti disaster.

Second, send it to the major world and economic leaders at Davos, the White House, and corporate America.

Finally, through a partnership with Citizen Effect, each choir can use this as a tool to raise funds for Haiti Relief provided through Care.  We’re looking for a corporation in the music industry that would be willing to pledge up to $30,000 towards Care’s Haiti relief as a response to this project.

We have the opportunity to be active and humble participants in providing help to Haiti. We just need you to sing for Haiti.

Here are the words.

Here’s the link to the sheet music [pdf]

Here is the song.

Will you join and sing?

The urgency of this must not be ignored.

~Amy

A boy lies injured in a makeshift hospital after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince January 17, 2010. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)