Letter From The President

Five years ago in March 2007, after six months of planning and hard work, my dream of Music For Mankind® became a reality when we performed our first Music For Mankind® concert at the Riley Center For The Arts at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont. Since that day we have fed nearly 40,000 people and counting.


I didn't do this by myself. It has taken the care and efforts of many people to get us where we are today.

Two years ago I started the Music For Mankind® Annual Fund Drive to help us in our efforts; through concerts, lectures, documentary presentations, and food drives; to help those who struggle every day to survive, and my heart is deeply touched with gratitude every time we receive a donation.

Music For Mankind® continues to grow. Your help is needed at this time to help us in that growth. Materials and supplies are needed for our new programs that we will be launching in 2012. These programs can put us on a new and bigger "stage" with the ability to help many more people, here at home, and around the world.
 
I'm personally reaching out to you at this time to ask you to please give, even a little. In our Declaration of Hope Sponsorships page you can learn about giving a one-time donation, or sign up for our new monthly subscription. There are several levels of giving, and any level in which you can give will help tremendously. Please take a moment to visit and give. Every little bit really does help.

Thank you for your time, consideration and support.

Sincerely,

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kelly Moore
President/CEO
Music For Mankind, Inc.

Give My Regards Concerts Huge Success!

Music For Mankind® - Give My Regards To Broadway Concerts A Huge Success

Starting at the end of July, with Rutland pianist Paul Opel, I've been performing the "Give My Regards To Broadway" concerts all over Vermont, in New Hampshire, Massachussets and upper New York State to incrediby touching enthusiasm.

Starting the new series in retirement homes, sharing songs that I grew up with in musical theatre as a teenager, with octogenarians and up who were introduced to these same songs in their adulthood, the bond created singing together is powerful and emotional. You can hear a sample of the concert here.

I'd like to share a couple of personal stories here. Several times, after the concert I've been approached by a concert-goer in tears who has held my hand, thanked me profusely, and told me, "You have no idea the memories you have brought back."

And another, clearly in her mid to late eighties, who told me, "You made me feel young again. Thank you!".

Already this concert series is doing much more than I anticipated. It's so sweet when the audience is singing along on songs that mean so much to them, and to me, as well. And at the end, when we sing "Edelweiss" together, and everyone joins in, even those who hadn't sung previously, and those who smile who hadn't smiled the entire concert, I feel such a gratitude to be able to bring this experience to them and to share it with them.

When I sing "Try To Remember", and in the third verse I get to the line of "Deep in December it's nice to remember the fire of September that made us mellow", sometimes I get choked up myself thinking about what this means to them, and what it means to me now, and what it will mean to me when I'm their age, and I'm touched and honored that what I can do is able to do this much for them.

To perform these concerts, to touch people's hearts, and to be able to contribute to organizations like the UN World Food Program and Feeding America, and help those who struggle every day just to survive, is a double dose of humility for me. I'm very thankful that I've been given this gift of music. It does things in my heart that I can never express, but just to let it out. I go around thinking, "If only people could feel what I'm feeling!", and possibly they are.

I've been showing my documentary, "Nicaragua - On The Ground", as well, and oftentimes am asked, "How can I help?".

We're continuing to book the "Give My Regards To Broadway" concerts, and expanding our reach into tour bus groups, resorts, corporate conventions and other events. Perhaps you have or know a group who would enjoy this music. Please let me know. That's how you can help. You can email me at kelly@musicformankind.net or call me at 802-362-3806.

Thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm.

Kelly

Links:
Nicaragua - On The Ground
Give My Regards To Broadway

Guest Post by Senator George McGovern

Music For Mankind® contributes to the United Nations World Food Program School Feeding Program, which was started by Senator George McGovern. I have had the pleasure of meeting him twice while in Washington.

Recently the Friends of the World Food Program posted the following from him on their blog, and have been kind enough to allow me to share his posting with you here on my blog.

A Humbling Experience in One of Africa's Largest Slums

By Senator George McGovern

Originally posted on Friends of the World Food Program Blog Thursday May 13, 2010

Hunger is something I have fought tirelessly by encouraging a global commitment to school meals and nutrition. I am currently on a 10-day visit to Kenya and Uganda to see United Nations World Food Program (WFP) projects serving the same cause. This visit comes 50 years after President John F. Kennedy appointed me the first director of the U.S. Food for Peace Program.

On Tuesday, I visited the Nairobi slum of Kibera—the largest slum in East and Central Africa—with more than 1 million people. Life is hard and most residents struggle daily to put a meal on the table. Many of the children in Kibera are orphans, having lost their parents to HIV/AIDS.


I want to share with you a touching experience when I met Lilian Adhiambo, a 22-year-old woman who is HIV positive and lives in Kibera. Lilian, through her HIV-infected child, receives WFP food assistance through a program feeding children who are HIV positive and their families.


With Lilian and her child, I saw the important role that nutrition plays in the management of the disease. Lilian said that with the WFP food, she and her child, together with the rest of the family, are able to lead a normal life and that she can even engage in small income-generating activities which, however, don’t always do very well because of the high levels of poverty in the slums.

Amid the squalor of Kibera, Lilian’s house, though mud walled and with a dirt floor, was sparkling clean and her sparse furniture was neatly arranged in her small room. The resilience I saw in her humbled me.


I danced with a 10-year-old lady from Stara Rescue Centre, and listened to poetry and songs from children in the centre, which is both a school and haven for destitute and orphaned children.

The poems and songs were about the nutritious lunch they receive daily in school because of WFP and how it helps them concentrate in class and encourages them to stay in school. At that moment, I was proud of the fact that in 2001, together with my colleague Senator Robert Dole, we pushed for the McGovern-Dole program which supports WFP’s school meals in Kenya.

I firmly believe that school meals are the most important form of assistance that the United States can give in Kenya and other parts of the world. This is because school meals provide both a safety net for hungry children and an incentive to keep them in school so they can learn for a better future.

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For more information about Music For Mankind® please visit http://www.musicformankind.net/