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May, 2008:

Forming a Parenting Education Nonprofit

May 7th, 2008
by Julia Taylor.
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California resident Jodi Azulai is using her Self-Expression and Leadership Program to set up a nonprofit to give people access to parent education. Azulai, who has also begun a meetup meeting for parent education, is looking for a variety of assistance to make this nonprofit a reality. The Daily Democrat of Woodland, Calfifornia, recently published Azulai’s request: 

Parent Education Volunteers Wanted 

Volunteers are need to assist with a new startup nonprofit agency for parent education. Headquartered in Yolo County, the nonprofit will serve as a clearinghouse for information about parent education courses throughout the area. Jodi Azulai, of Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program, is launching the agency and needs assistance in a variety of areas, including grant and newsletter writing, and website design. She is looking for a volunteer coordinator to organize this great agency.

She also hopes to raise funds to increase parenting courses in rural areas and for cultural communities that are currently underserved. To learn more or volunteer, contact Azulai at 601-0800 or email her at jazul@sbcglobal.net.

Rays of Hope

May 1st, 2008
by Julia Taylor.
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rays-of-hope-1.JPGWhen Effie Brunson took Landmark Education’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program last year, she became inspired to both make solar power more widely available in her home state of Texas, and help low-income families reduce their energy costs. She took on both of these goals with the creation of Rays of Hope, which works with other notable local organizations to provide and install solar photovoltaic systems on houses that are either being built or retrofitted for low-income families in Austin.

Rays of Hope is working to provide five homes with these solar PV panels this year, through funding from state and local organizations such as solar panel manufacturers and other members of the business community. Earlier this year, Rays of Hope was written about by the Texas Solar Energy Society, whose article appears below.

A Chance to Make a Difference

As fuel costs continue to rise and people become increasingly aware of the relationship between climate change and emissions associated with traditional energy generation, the demand for cleaner resources is growing. Solar power systems can meet this demand by providing clean energy with no emissions. Austin Energy’s current strategic plan includes a goal of delivering 30% of the energy they provide from renewable resources by 2020 with 100 megawatts of that renewable capacity from solar power. We’d like to help Austin Energy achieve that goal.

Rays of Hope is committed to helping low-income homeowners with relief from high utility bills by providing solar PV systems to meet the energy needs of these households. The project will purchase solar electric equipment and coordinate the installation of that equipment by hand-on workshops open to the public. Rays of Hope eliminates the initial investment costs for these residents, enabling them to positively impact the environment and significantly reduce what is often their 2nd highest monthly expense.

The pilot installation will take place March 13 and 14 at 6912 Villita Avenida in Austin, on a house being constructed by American YouthWorks Casa Verde Builders. Once complete, the house will be put on the open market to be sold as affordable housing.  American YouthWorks is an organization which gives at risk youth a second chance through job training programs and education in their charter school. By donating to Rays of Hope, you will be helping to purchase a solar array for a low-income family, giving them financial self-sufficiency and exposure to solar technology.

From Chile to America: Building a Bridge of Blues

May 1st, 2008
by Julia Taylor.
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When Jimena Villaseca took the Self-Expression and Leadership Program, she was committed to building ties between Chile and the United States, and at the same time support Chilean blues artist Pedro Rodriguez build a following in the United States. Her project resulted in a unique concert being held on May 2 near New York City. All About Jazz recently wrote a feature about Rodriguez and the show.

Born with the Blues, Chasing a Dream: Pedro Rodriguez, Chilean Jazz Guitarist to Give Concert on May 2

 Pedro Rodriguez brings his unique brand of Latin Jazz and The Blues to a New York audience on Friday, May 2, culminating a journey of many years and many miles from his hometown of Santiago, Chile.

The son of a medical doctor who played the trumpet, Rodriguez grew up in Santiago, listening to Jazz, Tango and Beatles records. As a teenager, he found a guitar stashed in a closet and started to play. “I decided I wanted to be a jazz musician before I knew really what that meant”, Rodriguez said. “I just knew I was swept away by the beauty and magic of the sound, and the culture from which it springs”.

“It wasnt easy wanting to be a musician in Chile in those days, Rodriguez said, referring to life under the regime of General Augusto Pinochet. “Most people looked down on musicians -especially jazz musicians – because their music was deemed too foreign and illegitimate”. He sought out jazz music classes, even private instructors, only to discover that none such existed. “Music was my only escape, and I struggled a lot to find joy in my life”.

Rodriguez came once to the United States to study Jazz in the mid-1990s, only to be forced to return home by his fathers death. Upon his return to Santiago he recorded an album as a trio, call Dead Man Plays Dead Man, which he dedicates to his father.

In 2006, a decade after setting his sights on getting a degree in Jazz Performance, he resolved to return to finish what he started, and returned to William Paterson University.

“My style is deeply rooted in the blues, but my love for jazz is open to many styles”, Rodriguez says. “My approach to music is that of melodic communication. The idea of song should never get lost”.

The May 2nd concert culminates four years of study and will be played with Gene Bertoncini and Paul Meyers, two master musicians who are highly regarded perfomers in New York’s Jazz club circuit.The concert is being held on Friday, May 2, at 6.45 pm at William Paterson University. on 300 Pompton Road in Wayne, New Jersey. The Program will feature arrangements of American standards, Brazilian standards, and original arrangements by Pedro Rodriguez.

To see the original story as it appeared, go to the All About Jazz website.

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