This fall, Colorado based not-for-profit Conscious Alliance continued its mission to help feed America's hungry communities, hosting food drives at various music events this winter/spring. Look for Conscious Alliance at the Langerado Music Festival at the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in Florida on March 6th-9th, along STS9 and EOTO Winter Tours, and at select one-off concert events including Keller Williams and The WMD'S on February 2nd at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado and New Monsoon (featuring Tim Carbone from Railroad Earth and EOTO with special guest Michael Kang) on February 9th at The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA. As always, patrons can donate 10 non-perishable food items or $10.00 to receive a limited edition rock art poster.
For this trip, Conscious Alliance will host their second Student Service Learning Project. The program offers exciting alternative service-learning experiences for college students during their fall/spring breaks. The Student Service Learning Project synthesizes service learning by combining education and hands-on service. Participating students learn about hunger related issues, as well as Lakota culture, by providing compassionate cross-cultural community service on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. While on the reservation, students lodge with community leaders Floyd and Natalie Hand, as they sort and distribute food to community members in need, aid with home repairs for Lakota families, participate in educational sessions with Lakota elders, and communicate with Pine Ridge college students and peers about current cultural, social, economic, and environmental issues. This spring, March 23rd - 29th, Conscious Alliance will organize a group of students from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Conscious Alliance started off the 2008 by partnering with Jam Cruise to host a school supplies drive to benefit children living in Roatan, Honduras, one of the stops along Jam Cruise 6. Conscious Alliance, Jam Cruise, Pangea Organics, The Children's Fund of Roatan and Zero Hero teamed up to deliver dozens of backpacks and boxes of school supplies, which were collected from passengers when the ship docked at port. Additionally, Pangea Organics donated 1000's of bars of organic soap that were divided between a school, orphanage and clinic on the island. The Children's Fund of Roatan shared their history to a group of 40 Jam Cruise volunteers, and children at the orphanage received an acoustic performance by Jam Cruise musicians including Jon Fishman, Jamie Janover, Jeff Coffin, Dave Watts and Dan Lebowitz.
For Conscious Alliance, the 2008 winter/spring season comes on the heels of a hugely successful 4th annual Turkey n' Trimmings holiday fundraiser. As a result of a generous outpouring of donations, Conscious Alliance was able to deliver nearly 2,000 holiday dinners- three times the amount delivered in 2006! Deliveries were made to communities on Pine Ridge, Northern Cheyenne, Rosebud, Standing Rock, and Fort Peck Indian Reservations. In addition, the 4th annual Toy Drive received a huge boost this year thanks to a donation from JAKKS Pacific. The contribution landed the total number of toys donated at nearly 10,000, resulting in distribution to dozens of communities on Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Northern Cheyenne and Fort Peck Indian Reservations. Instead of wrapping paper, toys were given out in pillowcases sewn by quilting groups across the Midwest, thus eliminating excess waste.
