May 2015 SUFC and American Airlines

A re-do of our website let Sticking Up For Children thank our Benefators and other Supporters more explicitly than we'd been able to do previously. You can check out videos from Sandra Nkake, Pretty Lights, and one

of Curtis Mayfield's "It's Alright", featuring Hamid Drake and William Parker, on our Supporters page. Also, we had an Apprecaition Party this month for those who have worked with us.

Further, we're glad to report that Sticking Up For Children is colorfully featured in two international magazines over the past month!

American Airlines' ran a piece by Bob Cooper, 'Can't Beat It', in its April 2015 in-flight companion,

American Way.

The chosen illustration for this piece is a photo of drumsticks-as-art painted by orphans at the Foyer

Espoir Pour les Enfants (FEPE) in Port-au-Prince, as the sticks dangle like wonderfully imagined and

detailed rainbow candles from a line in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward.

The article begins: 'Percussionists in famous bands are drumming up funds for schools in Haiti and

children's arts programs in New Orleans by donating their signed drumsticks.'

It then quotes a beautiful passage from Sticking Up For Children co-founder Cyril Neville: ' "My

grandchildren painted the first drumsticks as I told them about the troubles of the orphanage

and school in Haiti they would benefit.... They said it made them good inside to help children who

were less fortunate." '

Voila, an essence of Sticking Up For Children!

Cyril is also featured in the front-cover story of the current Amerian Blues Scene. The splendid

photo of him, holding three pairs of the LATEST gift of drumsticks-as-art painted by orphans at

FEPE, is by Kim Welsh, another recent supporter of SUFC. Behind Cyril is one of the magnificient

Black Indian suits displayed in one storefront of the New Orleans Institute for the Imagination.

The movement grows stronger!

Supporters gathered on Saturday, May 9, for an Appreciation Party hosted by Leslie Bertucci.

We welcomed singer Cole Williams from New York. We heard from Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson

of the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame and the Guardians of the Flame. We watched a video about

3D printing by our friend and colleague Brock Hinzmann in Palo Alto, CA.

The party is all here except for the excellent Charlie and Leona Steiner and Jonathan Batty.

And what are these people holding? Shadowboxes-as-art for the FEPE orphans' drumsticks-as-art!

More about this big new step soon, as we aim to help Marie-Jo convey her latest container of clothing, food,

and equipment from New Orleans to FEPE and begin creations with 3D printing in several locations!

We'll close by also weloming Felix Malaspine of Nicaragua,, boxer and painter and musician, and Brandan "BMike" Odums into collaborations with Sticking Up For Children.

Here's Felix with his painting, donated to us on May 9.

Here's B-Mike in an interview with the New Orleans Times-Picayune about the truly good and

astounding ExhibitBE show (many, many four-story walls of an abamdoned apartment-complex

ennobled with spray-paint and other art within a span of only two weeks by a team of nine

captain artists).