New Orleans Fundraiser

If you are anywhere near the East Village tonight, Sat. April 4, please make a point to stop by the 6th Street Community Center and donate something to the high school kids who are holding a Jazz Festival to raise money for their April working trips to New Orleans.

The organization is NY2NO, and they have been sending high school kids to New Orleans during each vacation for the past couple of years to work down there in the lower 9th ward. They are a student run organization, primarily from Beacon, LaGuardia and Bard, and provide a great experience for New York City high school students to do something positive. They offer scholarships for kids who can't afford the plane ticket or $250 fee who want to go, and work really hard, putting in so many hours to make these trips happen and provide real benefit to those who need help in New Orleans.

While in New Orleans they do physical labor in the mornings. At first they were renovating or demolishing damaged houses, but now that is mostly done, so they are clearing weeds for residents who haven't returned but are being fined for not keeping their property within legal weed-height limits, making it even more cumbersome for them to return or settle things. In the afternoons they canvass and provide information from a variety of local organizations to residents - kind of a door to door yellow pages of services that are being offered that the residents may not be aware of.

If you can't make it and can contribute something, even $1, please email me: mingum at verizon.net. Their website doesn't take donations directly.

If you go to the event, please also let me know so my son can get credit for anything you donate or spend, which will help towards his fundraising requirements. He is participating next week during spring break, and we are really excited that he is going to be doing this - so much better than carousing in Stuy Town, making trouble.

Also, you can become a fan on their Facebook page. I hope you will support this pretty terrific group, they are one of the only organizations for high school kids that I have seen that are truly active, fully operational and successful. I have gone to two of their meetings and have been very impressed by their dedication and hard work, with very little adult supervision.

NY2NO JAZZ FEST
Apr 4, 7-11pm
6th Street Community Center
East 6th Street Between Ave B&C

Playing: The LaGuardia Jazz Band, Max Bedstein & Harry D'Agostino, Louis Stein, Heather Boo & others

$10 adults; $7 students
There will be music, food and a silent auction