The staff at Next Step identified some deserving young adults and provided us with their needs.  On Saturday February 18, 2012, members of The Recurring Dream Foundation Board went to The Next Step office in Cambridge and met with the some of the staff and youth of the One Love Project.  It was then that Recurring Dream Foundation surprised 2 deserving young adults with the instruments.  A bass guitar, case and amplifier, was presented to a young woman; and a keyboard, case and stand was presented to a young man.  It was a great moment to be present for, hugs were given, tears were shed and music was played.  After the donation the youths received some instruction from the talented staff of Next Step.  Here are words of thanks from the youth passed on from the Next Step Staff.

“My first week with my guitar has been awesome! I started music lessons & am very adamant on learning this craft. I’ve been playing everydaynon-stop. This is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. I am so blessed to have people that really care about me as an individual. I want to thank all those people on the board of The Recurring Dream Foundation. They have definitely made one of my biggest dreams come true. When I am famous; I will make a mental note to shout out to them.” 

“When I first saw my piano I was in shock. I didn’t know what to say. I was just happy and I’m happy. My first week with my piano has been amazing. I took the time and wrote a song called Dream. And within the week I learned some new songs to play. All of this has just made me one step closer to my own dream. I just want Erik and the rest of the Board to know how much they mean to me. This week was amazing thanks to them and I will keep them in my mind and heart. ♥”

So just wanted to share some of my thoughts on the RDF that I’ve been feeling lately.  Is hard to believe that it’s been 6 years since we lost our dear friend Jim.  Jim thoroughly enjoyed life and was a strong presence where ever he was or in what ever he was involved with.  Jim loved his family, especially his younger siblings and niece.  One of his many passions was music, whether it was playing his guitar or drums, writing lyrics, or dissecting a particular Beatles or Steely Dan song.

The RDF was created out of those loves (music, and children).  It was also a way for us as friends and family to remember Jim and honor the many fond memories that we had.  Despite all of our busy lives I’m proud of what we have accomplished over the last 5 years.  We’ve held 2 all day concerts, featuring multiple bands, on the Newburyport Waterfront where we raised money to donate equipment to the Newburyport High School Band.  We became a 501(c)3 charity, which means that all of your wonderful donations are tax-deductible.   And we created a website and Facebook page to better spread our mission.  This year we have been really busy and have had 3 fundraisers, 2 events; one at The Turbine Wine Bar in Lynn and the other at The Port Tavern in Newburyport; and  one individual event; Erik Vose’s running of the Boston Half Marathon.  As a result of these events we have raised almost $2000 towards our mission.  We have also started a collaboration with Hungry for Music, a like-minded organization based in the D.C. area.  We strongly encourage others to support their cause as we have.

It’s through these events and accomplishments that I feel that we are fulfilling the mission of the RDF and keeping the memory of our dear friend ever-present in our busy lives.

Stay tuned and save the date for our next event.  We will be involved in “Holiday Happenings” in Andover, MA on  Friday December 9, 2011.

Take Care,

Mike Crounse

The 13.1 mile race is set for October 9th, 2011 at Franklin Park in Boston. Erik has been training hard for the last several months and this should prove to be a real fun event to watch.

Please donate here, all money raised is used to support the Recurring Dream Foundation’s mission to bring musical opportunities for children, teens and young adults.

Suggested donations

$1 per mile @13.1 miles ($13.10)

$2  per mile @13.1 miles ($26.20)

$5 per mile @13.1 miles ($65.50)

$10 per mile @13.1 miles  ($131.00)

$20 per mile @13.1 miles ($262.00)

$50 per mile @13.1 miles ($655.00)

$100 per mile @13.1 miles ($1,310.00)

Donations can also be made through paypal:

 

“What can I do?”  you say… Here are some easy ways to help make this a successful event:

1.  Create a post on your facebook page that tells ALL of your friends about this event, put a link to our events page and ask them to “like” this event… This way we can easily send everyone updates.

2.  Help us by introducing us to any other groups, businesses or non-profits that have similar values so that they can tell everyone they know about the event.

3.  Print out our poster event (or ask us to send you some) and put them up in all the places you like to hang out

4.  Show up to the event with some friends, this is GUARANTEED to be a GREAT time… RED TAIL HAWK, in the house!

As we have mentioned in the past, our focus for this year has been to hold a series of smaller fund-raising events to empower and enable our Foundation, as well as focus on collaboration with other like-minded organizations in the Boston area.  Our recent announcement to collaborate with Hungry for Music has been a big step for us, so please stay tuned for more information on what will result!  Also, the support shown to the RDF at our recent event at the Turbine Wine Bar in Lynn, MA was overwhelming and encouraging.  To follow up, we are excited and proud to announce that our summer fund-raising event will be at the Port Tavern in Newburyport, MA on August 6 at 8:00PM, coinciding with the pinnacle of Yankee Homecoming (fireworks night)! The icing on the cake??? Red Tail Hawk will be performing at our event, offering a unique sound that is sure to delight the ears and compliment the nature of our cause.  Please come join us and SUPPORT us by making a tax-deductible donation.  We will be present and eager to discuss our future plans with those who will listen! This has been an exciting year for us, as we are setting the stage for the future of the RDF.  Your support is what enables us to move forward and ultimately enable young musicians to realize their musical aspirations.

Peace in Music,

Ryan

In the past we have put a lot of time and energy into creating a larger event with multiple bands and raffles, and these events have been a great success… but as time goes on, our vision has grown.  We are aiming to do a larger and more substantial event down the road and are currently focusing our efforts on a series of smaller (and simpler) fundraising events to create the funds to accomplish our goal.  We will be elaborating on some of the details of projects that are in the development phase on saturday.

It is always a great time when we can all get together to enjoy each others company and focus our thoughts and energy towards our mission.  We are hoping for a good turn out, so please show your support for this important cause by stopping by, and bringing a friend or two!

See you Saturday!