After a few grueling months of competition, BackBooth's Monster Battle of the Bands is coming to a close this Saturday night, May 2nd. Thus far, the battle has served as an ideal way to find out who is the best and most beloved up and coming bands in Orlando. Winners are decided on by judges analyzing certain categories that cannot be disclosed at this time.
Saturday night will certainly be an entertaining event. Doors will open at 5:00pm and the performances will be contingent all night between 6:00 and 11:30pm. Eight bands of all different genres will compete in hopes to be crowned champions.
Below you will find the schedule and the links to all of the performing bands' MySpace pages:
If you have talked to someone inside of Rock For Hunger in the past few weeks you will see that we have been entangled in "grant land." Chris and Logan have been going to information sessions and learning everything they possibly can on ways to help fund Rock For Hunger and the programs we are working on to empower and enlighten the homeless population in Orlando.
To this point I have decided to stay out of the action and take in what Chris and Logan pass on and offer my support. This week that all changed. I attended an event at the Lynx property downtown on Monday morning which included opening remarks from District 8 Representative Alan Grayson. Admittedly I do not know very much about the guy and didn't get too much insight from his brief 10-15 minute talk, but I do know that his team, especially Darren Vierday - the Grants Coordinator - are committed to helping building social responsibility through government funding, including the support of nonprofits.
So here is what I learned from the event and some things that you can possibly learn from them.
There are 4 types of Federal Grants
Categorical Grants (makes up 90% of grant money)
Block Grants (like it sounds - it groups items together and funds them all)
Entitlement Grants
General Revenue Sharing (stopped using in 1986)
Key Websites to Visit When Doing Grant Research in Orlando
Stories win every time. Be sure to have a compelling story with a hero/villian - right/wrong - conflict/solution.
When writing you need to get specific as to what and how you are going to spend your money as possible. Include the actions necessary to make it happen, the manpower needed, instructions or training needed or provided and break it down so the lender know that it is going to work!
Funders love collaborations. By partnering with another organization you have great odds because you are helping to serve more people and the money can stretch further.
Make your budget part of your story (not sure what that means 2 days later, but I starred that sentence in my notes!)
So those are the notes from Congressman Grayson and the presenters from Monday's event. I will say that this is a little tougher than going the private donor route (even though that route has not been easy). If you would like to help Rock For Hunger continue to provide its current programs or help in the creation of our new initiatives please contact me and I will be sure to help you decide the right path and program to help support and build.
Also, we are looking for grant writers, copywriters and others for Summer Internships. Please drop us a line here to express interest in a summer internship to help the homeless of Orlando.
This week’s Featured Artist has a history with our organization. They have not only supported our cause, but they also appeared at Rock for Hunger Fest 2 on the BackBooth stage. This highlighted band is definitely one of the local hard rock favorites. Their reputation has earned them a devoted fan base and a wealth of opportunities the band would have otherwise never received.
Can you guess the artist? Either way, you know we have to reveal who they are. Can you tell by the picture (Warning: Don’t scroll down yet)?
If you guessed Hydrosonic, congratulations you know your Orlando bands and your RFH Fest alumni.
Hydrosonic will have the pleasure of gracing the Real Rock Stage at next week’s EDBD event. This is an accomplishment that a few RFH alum have achieved, so we wish Hydrosonic the best of luck and a humbled congratulations.
If you are going to the event, please make sure you check out Hydrosonic on the small stage.
In the meantime, you can prepare for the show by checking out their MySpace page at:
This week's Featured Artist is no stranger to Rock for Hunger. The band, Passafire, played played Rock for Hunger Fest 3 last November and has had a major impact on the interests of many RFH Committee members. There is no question they are a great band, but what are they all about?
Passafire is a four-piece Reggae-rock-dub band from Savannah, Georgia. Their music has been described as "If Incubus met Sublime." I actually think that that is a great comparison.
Passafire will return to Orlando on April 25th at BackBooth. As always, it should be a great show filled with immense energy. I hope you can make it out to see such a great band in concert.
On Saturday, April 11th Rock For Hunger held its first ever Bowl-A-Thon ironically dubbed Bowl For Hunger. The event was organized and promoted by our inaugural intern class of 2009. The event was a great success, with much learned and much achieved.
We wanted to say thanks to a few cool groups that Rocked with us and lent a supporting hand:
NEMA House sponsored a team of 3 homeless individuals who had smiles on their faces and spares in their frames by the end of the night! It was a great sight to see.
Altamonte Lanes helped us out and provided a great venue for the event (plus a Dale Earnhardt Jr. Commemorative Bowling Ball as our feature raffle prize!)
The winning bowling team consisted of Trina, Evan and Patrick - team name censored - who edged out the Psycho Strike - O's by 2 points!
(the winning team from left to right - Patrick, Evan and Trina)
The real winner of the event was the Orlando homeless community, where the awareness and funds raised will help Rock For Hunger develop the Talk 4 Hunger Program and continue to grow the lifestyle and career development training as past of the Dreams Center.
Thank you to all 14 teams that came out and helped us to continue to give dreams those in need in our hometown! Keep Rocking For Hunger and we'll see you tonight at the food sharing!
(Chris Goyzueta throws one down the lane to fight Poverty in Orlando, FL)
Built To Be Broken is one of those bands that you just have to love. Aside from being three of the nicestand most genuine guys to be around, they also happen to be very talented musicians, and therefore a very enjoyable band. After all, that is the reason we are highlighting them as a Featured Artist.
Over the past several months, Built To Be Broken has participated in the “I Rock for Hunger” Battle of the Bands,” as well as provided support to the cause since day one. They have done what they can to help out, considering the fact that they have been hard at work on their debut full-length album “The Reason To The Rhyme.” Coincidentally, the album drops locally this weekend at their CD Release Show at the Plaza Theatre.
“The Reason To The Rhyme” combines a positive message with melodic pop/rock music. In a way, the record is an all-inclusive culmination of the band’s entire existence thus far. While the album will release in Orlando this Saturday, April 11th, it won’t be available worldwide until the summer. Expect to hear a lot about the album leading up to another big show in the summer.
This show, however, will feature Rock for Hunger Fest Alums Black Ship Sky and Ambertone. So we’ll see you on Saturday, April 11th at the Plaza Theatre for the CD Release Party. It should be a fun one!
In the meantime, you can check out B2BB on their MySpace page here.
Although I missed a day yesterday (Forgive me for I was extremely busy), I am finally getting around to posting the second and final part of my video tour of the Homeless Voice. In actuality, this is the third post related to my visit last week.
Hopefully, this series served as an enlightenment for the readers and allowed for everyone to see the value in what Sean and the Homeless Voice have created in South Florida. We are pleased to be working with them on our new street paper, "Talk 4 Hunger." But we are even more pleased to be able to call them our friends.
(NOTE: This post is a continuation of yesterday's blog post)
On Saturday, I was invited back to the shelter for the “Making of the Homeless Voice” event. Everyone gets together for a spectacular meal (prepared by Billy) and the writers get in a room and piece the upcoming issue together. I was surprised to learn of the process and the staff’s dedication to put the issue together in less than 12 hours. It is a depiction of dedication and teamwork at most – revealing the team’s synergy and will to bounce ideas off one another to make the most entertaining piece of journalism possible. And they are very successful at that.
Unfortunately, I did not video Day 2. I decided to take everything in and concentrate on networking and learning more about the people. All in all, my trip to Ft. Lauderdale was extremely beneficial. There are so many things that I learned that I cannot reveal on this blog due to the secrecy of Talk 4 Hunger. We can’t reveal too much before our official street launch. What would be the fun in that?
As promised, the first part of my video tour of their facilities can be found below.
This weekend I had the pleasure to shadow Sean Cononie, the Founder and CEO of the Homeless Voice – One of the most heavily distributed street papers in the United States. Sean and the Homeless Voice are based out of Hollywood, Florida, where they not only provide the homeless with jobs selling the newspaper across all of South Florida, but also a place to stay, after turning the Homeless Voice headquarters into a homeless shelter over eleven years ago.
Sean’s creation has admittedly taken him by surprise. While he realized there was a void and a definitely need for what he has spawned, he couldn’t come to expect the roads it would lead him to and the additional opportunities that would quickly be established. Many years after conception, the Homeless Voice has become a staple on the streets of South Florida.
My first steps into the Homeless Voice shelter took me by surprise. After being greeted by numerous homeless people and discussing the reasoning behind my arrival with the once homeless receptionist, I could quickly determine that this entire place was operated by the homeless. At first, this notion pleased me greatly, but after battling a few language barriers, I couldn’t help but question the job placement. After a few minutes, I was escorted upstairs to be greeted by Sean himself. Much to my surprise, he was covered in paint, sporting a green t-shirt and athletic shorts. His attire did not come anywhere close to matching the professionalism of my collared shirt and jeans that I was sporting.
Sean brought me to his office and sat me down forewarning me that we will take a tour at the end of our discussion. Before long, I was introduced to the only three paid employees in the facility that were never homeless in their lives. Like I said before, the entire place is run by the homeless tenants who adore the family that has been established in the shelter.
My selfish goal of my visit was to pick Sean’s brain about the secrets to starting a paper, dealing with the city officials and avoiding legal issues along the way. Needless to say, I walked away from the meeting feeling very empowered. Although I forgot to bring along my trusty pen and notepad, my “Notes” app on my iPhone was completely filled with useful information.
I was very delighted with Sean’s will to help Rock for Hunger and subsequent street paper Talk 4 Hunger. According to him, he has helped launch five street papers across the nation over the last several years. We are pleased to be added to the list.
After our lengthy discussion, Sean rushed to the bed that he calls him “Home” next to his office. He claims that he rarely gets to go to his house, and in this instance, he was working without sleep for 48 consecutive hours. I could reveal the truth in this when he would close his eyes for a brief moment as I spoke to him. This coupled with the paint all over his body made him look miserable, but it’s his job and intentions that keep him chipper throughout the day.
Sean’s much needed nap dubbed Billy, Sean’s Assistant, as my tour guide for the day. In the video tomorrow, you will see everything from my point-of-view. Billy showed me the rooms, the people, the kitchen, the clothing shop and everything else existing in the two-story building. Billy, who also doubles as the shelter’s chef most days, spent a lot of time showing me the kitchen where I got to taste test his famous marinara sauce for the next day’s festivities.
The video and more information to come on day 2 tomorrow…
In the meantime, here is a video of Sean and the Homeless Voice gathering individuals from the cold outside.
Below you will find the schedule and the links to all of the performing bands' MySpace pages:
