Sounds of the Soul Poetry Slam is an event which was created to share poetry from the local community and reach out to help different charitable organizations in the local and international communities. This poetry slam is new but slowly gaining popularity with the community, not only is it an event to share poetry but it is also to raise money for different cause where all of the proceeds are full donated.
Contents
Introduction
In history Americans have been known as the most charitable people in the world. With our generosity we help other countries and donate to many different charitable organizations. In the state of Michigan mostly in the metro Detroit area many have come together to make a difference by donating money time and hard work to various charities. Metro Detroit has been suffering for the past decade if not longer with many different economic hardships. Even though, the area has been hit hard many people still help out and try to make a difference in their communities. For example, two young college students, Heather Sinawe and Salim Gasso, have come together to put on a poetry slam so they can raise money for different charities through poetry. These two students have proved that they can make a difference even when economic times are hard. They have successfully donated to two different charities in which 100% of all proceeds are donated. Many people say that Sinawe and Gasso must be really rich to be throwing an event of this caliper every year; well the truth is they are just your average college students. The Sounds of the Soul poetry slam was created in 2009 to raise money for refugees from Iraq who were coming from the Iraq war.
The Poets
This poetry slam is opened to anyone to join and recite poetry, but in the first year there were a large number of poets who were from the Chaldean American Community. The show has really grown due to this simple fact; there has never been a poetry slam ever in the Chaldean community. Many of these poets have been waiting for several years to see an event like this surface. Many different poets have performed in this charity event. There have been wide arrays of poets ranging from beginners all the way to professional poets. Each year brings different pieces of writing while emotions are flaring in the air and words are being used to express strong messages to the audience. This event has seen different genres of poetry from political criticism to family matters. The poets all enjoy writing poetry and being part of this cause. This is not only helping the community express their art work but it is also raising money for a great cause.
The Chaldean News
The Chaldean News is one of the first news papers to actually publish something about this poetry slam. On January 1, 2009 they publish and official announcement for the Chaldean community to hear about this upcoming event. The January 2009 issue of the Chaldean News is a great resource for me to find information about the beginning of the event. They are the only news paper article in which you can find the announcement for the event. This news paper is spread widely throughout the Chaldean community. This community news paper is also growing and reaching new heights every year. Vanessa Denha-Garmo is the editor of this newspaper and she is a very intelligent writer who has been providing an excellent newspaper to the Chaldean American Community. This is a quote Sinawe said from this year's show: "Many people doubted that we would have the same success as last year's show but with God's graces, Salim and I have once again been able to successfully help another great charity in need, Yatooma's Foundation For The Kids,” said Sinawe. “Without our generous sponsors, volunteers, the powerful poets, our families and friends, this would not have been possible. So thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. God bless and we'll see you next year!"
The Sponsors
This event is only possible by the many different organizations and local businesses which donate money and services to the event. The 2010 list of event sponsors includes restaurants, college organizations, personal sponsors and many other businesses. The list is C.A.S.A., BlackFinn, Evolution Fitness, Scally Way Productions, John Paul Home Care, DMIXENT.COM, Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, Sangria Tapas Cafe, Wilsons Market Fine Wine and Liquor, immersifi, ZCD Transportation, Inc., and Mitchell's Fish Market Seafood Restaurant & Bar. With this year's current economic situations there were still many sponsors to help this event. This is great and really shows how a community can come together and raise money together. This event is relying on these sponsors to make this event possible.
Adopt-A-Refugee
The first organization the Adopt-a-Refugee program is an organization started by the Chaldean Federation of America with the help of two community members to help those in need of assistance in other countries which they are displaced in such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and many other Middle Eastern countries. This organization has grown in this time of recession but the poetry slam really helped out with a large donation last year. The website for the charity is www.adoptarefugeefamily.org and here you can find all of the information you need to know about the charity. Over $6,000 was donated to the Adopt-A-Refugee Program after the first poetry slam was hosted in 2009. This money was used to feed almost six families for a year. The Mission Statement for the Chaldean Federation of America: To provide financial support, through donations and charitable contributions, to Iraqi refugees who were forced to leave their homeland due to the ongoing turmoil within their homeland and who cannot otherwise provide for themselves by partnering with humanitarian organizations working in the Middle East. By matching donors with families based on the size of the pledged monthly donation we hope to reach as many refugee families as possible while working to ensure that 100% of the donations end up with the refugee families to help ease the burden faced by these refugees as they strive to regain a normal life in a new land.
Yatooma's Foundation for the Kids
The second organization is the Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids which were started as a result of a death of the founder’s father. The man behind this organization was the son of the man who was shot at a gas station trying to help a woman who was getting robbed with her children in the back of the car; instead he was shot and killed. Since that moment in time Norman Yatooma had been left without a father and had no one to turn to but his mother. It was a hard upbringing but he is currently a successful lawyer who is a good man and loves to help children in the metro Detroit area. www.forthekidsfoundation.org is going to be very helpful for any reader because it has so much information about the organization and what they do. The website includes the story of the man who started this whole organization and the motive which led him to the beginning of the organization. The mission statement of Yatooma's Foundation for the Kids: Bringing Tenderness To Tragedy and turning tragedy to triumph for the families of kids who have lost a parent by providing practical, professional, and personal assistance at each stage of the grieving and recovery process. This Foundation is dedicated in honor and loving memory of Manuel S. Yatooma (1947–1993).